Thief of Hearts
by Black Th1rt3en
Summary: {Liars and thieves are the same thing...} One fateful night on Christmas Eve Hadley McClane meets her fate in the form of a German thief named Hans Gruber, on that same night Hans meets the woman that will test his control for a while, because once he sets his eyes on her he can't seem to take them off. {-or are they?} (under co/on hiatus)
1. Prologue: The Beginning of the End

**_Thief of Hearts_**

 _Prologue: The Beginning of the End_

 **(This is my first Die Hard fanfiction, its a Hans Gruber x OC romance sorta thing that will go slowly and start as a one sided thing, then turn to mutual lust, and then finally love. It will stick to the movies plot for a lot of it then branch off into my own plot and go from there. There will be lots of cussing, crude humor, and some sexual content - a lot towards the later chapters - and not to mention, death. Characters will die at my whim not when the move instructs it unless I write so, otherwise I own nothing but my OC and some of the plot. I will try and update as much as possible but I am a very busy person. Hope you enjoy, and please R &R!)**

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I had never known the difference between a liar and a thief until Christmas Eve of 1988. It had taken me almost twenty years to figure it out, and I had to realize the difference the hard way. And when I say hard-way, I mean like actually the immensely hard way; like she had to get kidnapped and used as bait by an extremely hot German guy _hard way._ But let's not get caught up in that just yet.

You see the difference between thieves must be established after you've seen them work, or if you know the similarities. Liars and thieves often have the same motives: personal gain, however the way they go about it is different. What confuses people is how liars often steal the truth and thieves often lie about their doings, but the difference between them, the real difference, is how far they are willing to go to acquire what they desire. Liars are the beginnings of what makes a thief, but not many can become a true thief unless they understand the stakes of getting what they want; a liar will steal, but a thief will kill.

Again though, I didn't find that out until it was a tad bit too late.

Music was blaring in my head phones as the plane touched down in Los Angeles with a rattle that shook the carrier and all the passengers in it. I was used to the jerking of the vehicle as I'd traveled many times before, this definitely not being my last. I was all alone on the flight, having traveled a mere one hour and thirty minutes, twenty of it wasted waiting for the tank to be refueled. I was meeting up with my mother and father, my father living in New York, me in Los Vegas, and my mother in Los Angeles. Funny how three people of the family lived in three of the most well-known cities in the country. Either way, my dad and I were both flying in to stay with the Captain, though I had hoped they could spend Christmas with mom I didn't know if mom would allow dad to stay, and having helped him through the hard times, I had no plans on leaving him alone for Christmas. Even if it meant sacrificing my own.

When mom and dad split up – not officially of course – life had become increasingly awkward and harder for everyone. Lucy, John Jr., and Holly all moved to Los Angeles, leaving John and I alone in NY to continue working his job. It was a sacrifice the whole family had to make, but it did stress some of the bonds between the family, my mother and father's most prominently.

I had decided to stay in New York because admittedly I loved the city and all its quirks. I thought it was exciting, all the crime and unexpected turns in life making it a fun place to nurture my youth in. Not to mention it was a great opportunity for education. I had taken many police courses there, having been requested by dad in case "a situation" called for me to need to be able to protect myself. I however didn't object all that much once I realized being able to kick ass was pretty useful, even though that wasn't my only strong suit it was a nice trait to have. I was a rather successful detective and engineer, working with computers was my strength and I had actually been offered a job in Las Vegas by a huge company to do some work on their systems. I had jumped on the opportunity, though dad was reluctant to let me go, I'd managed to convince him I would be fine; he had one condition however: I had to have a gun on me.

Of course it was merely a standardized pistol (that I knew how to shoot backwards forwards and with my eyes closed) but was only allowed to carry it because technically I worked for the NYPD, despite being somewhat underage. I was the exception thanks to her dad's persistence.

The plane jerked again, almost throwing me forward in my seat, however I managed to stay planted in my spot by gripping the arms of my chair with fervency, though it didn't stop my gun – which had been tucked away in the waist band of my jeans – to flip into my lap. The safety was on, but all the onlookers that saw the thing cringed and widened their eyes in horror. I rolled my eyes and popped the headphones from my ears, picking up the gun and tucking it away slowly as not to further frighten everyone. "It's ok, I'm a special agent, I'm allowed to have this."

Everyone seemed to calm down at that, if only slightly. Some obviously didn't believe the "special agent" thing (you could tell by how they rolled their eyes or shook their heads), which wasn't true, I wasn't anyone special, however I was allowed to have the gun, and if they didn't notice the leather jacket I wore spoke volumes about my position.

After making swift haste to exit the plane, I grabbed my bags and walked out of the airport to the directory where my ride should be. The business I had been working for on my trip had given me a car of my choice to get to the destination, naturally I chose a motorcycle, but dad would be riding too so I had to get something a little more subtle: a Ferrari.

Just a little bit more subtle.

I'd never ridden in one, let alone drive a car so fast, so when the opportunity arose I exploited it and happily got the request affirmed.

A medium-height man with glasses too large for his face was holding a sign with my name on it just up ahead, I smirked giddily and all but skipped over to where he stood, ecstatic to be able to finally ride in a fast car. "Mr. McClane?"

My jaw clenched, _do I really look that much like a man?_ Dad's name was also on the board, but wasn't it obvious I was not a man? Maybe the glasses made it hard to see. "No, I'm Ms. McClane, my dad should be coming out anytime now." The chauffeur nodded and looked away, so I did, too. I mean, I couldn't entirely blame the guy for thinking I was of male genes, though I thought the skinny jeans (which clung to my hips) would give it away, I was otherwise wearing a male's attire though. I had on Germany jersey (Hans-Peter Briegel's to be exact, because he was hot as hell) and had a leather jacket over that, not to mention my hair which was pulled into a tight bun and I wore retro glasses. I however was still clueless to how I looked like a guy, I had boobs for Christ's sake! How do guys not notice that? _Men only notice pretty woman Hadley. Actually, scratch that, they only pay attention to woman with big boobs and a round ass, you have neither._

I sighed and looked up, my eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of my father, when, out of the door I saw a man with matching sunglasses appear, holding a duffel bag over his shoulder and a large stuffed bear over the other. I smiled, knowing that was in fact my father John McClane; we made eye contact, even behind the glasses, and he smiled too, coming over in the direction of where I stood. The man nodded and turned to walk off, I followed, dad coming up behind me and wrapping an arm lovingly around my shoulder.

"Great to see you dad, how was your flight?"

"It was A-alright, not the same without you though, I didn't get to launch any spitballs at the flight attendants." John said with a tint of mock disappointment in his voice, his lips curling into a big smile he futilely tried to hide.

I gasped, clutching my chest in an equally as playful manner. "Why ever not?"

"You know very well why not! You always are getting me out of trouble with your excuses and puppy dog eyes…"

I snickered, more to myself as I recalled the memories of the frequent past flights with my dad. "Of course, of course, I'm here all week."

John rolled his eyes as the chauffeur handed me the keys – giving me a quick debriefing on the conditions of the car and such - and walked away. John held out his hand, "Give me the keys."

"Uh no. I'm driving, I'm the one that got us this car."

"You don't even know where you are going, let me drive."

"Actually you don't know where you are driving, I do. I've visited Nakatomi plaza before, remember?"

Thought flash across John's features before he put his hands up and reluctantly climbed into the passenger side. "When was that again?"

I slid into the deep seated car and wiggled a bit to get comfortable, the plush leather chairs were very nice and propped my back up in all the right places. "For my birthday, mom insisted I come over, I was gone for two days; more specifically the two days you tried to cook by yourself and blew up the oven."

"Oh, yeah."

I chuckled to myself and put the keys in the ignition, shifting the gear into reverse and revving the engine of the car.

"Remember, always drive-"

"Yes, I know. Speedily."

And with that we were off.

I pressed my foot far into the pedal, so much actually that both of us were pressed to the back of our seats. At this rate we would make it to the plaza in no time, or a long time if they got pulled over. I was going way over speed limit and swerving in and out of cars like in a mad chase. Definitely not legally. "I don't remember ever saying that, but this is quite ironic. Two cops breaking the law in the same car and for no apparent reason."

"Oh dad I clearly remember you saying that speed is a driver's best friend, and I learned from the best after all." I winked to my father, who rolled his eyes – visibly mind you – behind the glasses. "And about that, well, I'm just gonna say eff it. Its Christmas."

John chuckled, "Not yet it's not."

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The rest of the ride was uneventful and mainly consisted of playful banter or small talk that was exchanged between us. We were both dreading the upcoming meeting, and tried to avoid it as long as possible. We couldn't hide from it forever though, and before either of us knew it they were on the thirtieth floor standing in the doorway of Holly's office. Holly _Genero_ 's office to be exact, something dad came across while trying to find her office that angered him to no extent, though he was very good at hiding it. We had been led in by some guy named "Mr. Tagwacki" or something like that (I don't know his name so I'ma just call him Tagwacki), he was quite obviously Japanese and even though I had met him before (albeit briefly) I couldn't help to recall his name. There was already another man in the room, he was young but we had met before and whenever he was around I always kept my body as far from his as possible. Not to mention he'd been sniffing coke when we'd entered, but that stopped as soon as Mr. Tagwacki, John, and I entered the room. Ellis I think his name was, I'd met him briefly at my previous visit, in which he'd tried to kiss me and I'd threatened to cut his manhood off. _Oh bittersweet memories, mustn't have told mom, maybe it hurt his pride too much he'd been denied._ I grinned.

"Ellis, this is John McClane and his daughter Hadley McClane." Mr. Tagwacki introduced us, purpose behind his voice. I had known he'd been after mom for a while but hadn't bothered to tell dad in fear he'd get angry, he seemed to reach the conclusion all on his own though.

"Holly's policeman?" His voice was nasally and he definitely sounded high, I had to suppress an internal cringe upon hearing it. How the hell did he retain a job here?

"Ellis is in charge of International Acquisitions." _He should be glad he's in charge of anything,_ I suppressed a huff _,_ glaring daggers at him while he wasn't looking. Just being in the same room as him irked me to no end.

Dad shook hands with Ellis, very stiffly might I add. "That explains the recent deal with Bolivia." Ellis pulled back quickly and ran a checking finger under his nose in terribly hidden fright. "Relax, Ellis. I'm off duty." _I wouldn't mind kicking his ass anyhow_ I thought ruefully, my jaw clenching annoyedly.

"Can I get you anything? Food? Cake? Watered down champagne punch?"

"I'm fine." My dad answered with a wry smile on his face. Mr. Tagwacki looked at me and I declined with the incline of my head. There was a short lapse of silence while me and my dad looked out the window I decided to stay silent as long as I could, I didn't want to converse right now. "You throw quite a party. I didn't know they had Christmas in Japan."

"Hey, we're flexible. Pearl Harbor didn't work out, we got you with tape decks." Dad and I both shared a laugh, I liked this guy, he actually had a sense of humor.

"Actually, it's kind of a double celebration. We closed a pretty big deal today and a lot of it was due to Holly." I wanted to punch this guy in the face, and given the schooled expressions me and dad both had I could tell he was having mutual thoughts

I turned at the sound of footsteps, which overlapped with a familiar voice. "All set, Joe. The contracts went over the wire, and – John! Hadley!" Mom exclaimed looking at us both in surprise, though her and dad's gaze held longer.

"I was hoping you both made that flight."

"I was hoping you were hoping that." I would have said something too, had it not been a perfect moment of renewal for their love. I couldn't find it in myself to shatter it.

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek, her lips lingering there before she pulled back and within a moment my mom's surprisingly strong arms were wrapped around my torso, pulling me into a great big hug that I returned fervently. Even though she'd abandoned me and dad for work, I couldn't stay mad at her, she was my mom after all, and she had enough stress as it was being all alone. "Hey mom, great to see you."

"How was the trip?"

"Uneventful, but the project is Las Vegas was insightful."

"You'll have to tell me later, we have a part to attend," she pulled back from the hug, a look of disapproval sweeping across her features as she looked at what I was wearing. "Really? You can't wear that, go change this instant!"

"But mom-"

"No buts, I want you to look nice for the party." She said sternly, her eyes telling me there was no point in arguing.

I huffed, I should have seen this coming. Dad was alright with me looking like a bum because then guys wouldn't approach me, but mom was quite the opposite. By no means did she want me to look like a stripper, no, but she did want me to doll up on occasion and show off how "beautiful" I am. I rolled my eyes exasperatedly, "Fine."

I turned (after giving my dad my bag, I had made it a point to keep my gun off me tonight because I wouldn't need it anymore which led me to stowing it in there) and left, shooting dad an apologetic look as Mr. Tagwacki began speaking again, something about mom's work ethic or whatnot… _Man I really need to find out that guy's name._ I shrugged and weaved in-between everyone, ignoring any glances my way or occasionally brush against my hind side of passing men. Usually I would have flipped my lid but doing so at a party would only make the tension in my family worse as my mom would gripe on me for being so impolite for kicking a dude in the nards and my dad would protect me for standing up for myself. Then he'd punch the guy in the face himself. Definitely unwanted family drama.

Getting inside the elevator I shuddered to myself and pressed the garage level button where I had parked my car. "I don't even want to imagine the amount of guys that will touch me when I get my dress on! God people in this city are sick…." Ding! "I take that back," I began to myself as I exited the elevator and turned in the direction of my red Ferrari, "men are sick." Opening the driver side door I picked up my duffel bag and quickly sifted through my clothes, picking out the dress I'd packed just in case the time called for it. I should have known honestly, but I was hoping mom would let me be a bum, _guess not._ Picking up the dark blue lace dress, I slung it over my shoulder and picked up a pair of spandex and some simple makeup supplies. "Go big or go home they say. Maybe if I look nice enough I can lure Ellis in like a catfish and get dad to punch him. That'd be a merry Christmas to me." I snickered to myself, "who am I kidding? I could dress up like a dog and that old hound would probably get turned on."

Turning to the door that led to the lobby, I entered with my stuff on my shoulders, closing the door behind me and failing to notice the Emory truck with the words "Pacific Courier" painted on the side pull into the garage behind my retreating form.


	2. Chapter 1: Stuck in a hard place

**_Thief of Hearts_**

 _Chapter 1: Caught between a rock and a really hard place_

 **(Wooooh! Sorry it took me so long to update but this chapter is uber long and was super hard to write, I will be going back and reviewing/fixing things later but for now I wanted to get it up for you guys. Also be ready for language, gore, and crude jokes in this chapter, if you don't like it don't read. Thanks for the support and I hope you all enjoy! Please review!- it makes me work harder ;) Also I don't own Die Hard or I'd be uber rich and very happy, and I can only dream that I own Hans Gruber, but sadly I don't own him either...)**

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Managing to change into my dress in record time, I slipped on my compression pants and slid my gun holster (that was designed to hide on my inner thigh for when a cop wore a dress) on my leg and situated it so it was comfortable. I had forgot my gun however, so instead of placing a weapon there I stowed my gum away. Genius, I know. But I still had to apply makeup, which wasn't much given my lack of caring and limited supplies. It was merely light mascara, not too much to where I looked like a rock star, but just enough to give my lashes definition. Finally, I touched my lips up with some lip balm, I prayed mom would think it was gloss and not make me put on the real stuff; my lips were dry anyway so it served a double purpose. Throwing my clothes over my shoulder, I assessed myself in the mirror with the comical wiggle of my eyebrow, making guns with my hands and pointing them at my reflection. Suddenly I heard a gunshot. My hands flew to my mouth to stifle the scream that had almost come out in shock, but even though it was suppressed I knew it was a gun. I had my dad's police classes to thank for that, and a bit of intuition that what was going on wasn't anything good. _Or just common sense, but then again, what's the difference?_

I crept ever so slowly to the bathroom door, praying to god whomever was out there didn't catch wind of me as I ever so stealthily – or so I hoped that's what it was like – opened the door. It didn't creak a bit as I opened, and I almost let out a sigh of relief but managed to hold my breath before it left.

"Tell Theo he needs to meet us on the meeting floor, we must crack the codes as soon as possible if we wish this to go smoothly." The deep timbre was accented harshly, the voice itself was beautiful and smooth, but the twisted pronunciation of the words sounded familiar. German. They were definitely German. I couldn't make out any faces from here, but I was suddenly very glad for the two years of foreign language High School had required me to learn, who knew it'd come in handy. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage and took another small step out to see if I could make out numbers and faces to notify the police, or merely see if this wasn't anything bad and I was being paranoid. There was a number of people filing towards the elevator, but one stood out among the rest, the way he held himself singling him out as the obvious leader of the group. Yes, they were definitely German, the suit the brown haired man whom had spoken was of a German brand, as was the long grey trench he was wearing. I was also glad I took interest in male attire.

This was bad news, I could _not_ get caught. _I need to get out quick, before anyone sees me._ With that thought in mind I went to retreat back into the bathroom and perhaps dial 911 or get my parents out of there, yes, that was what I was going to do.

"Don't move, or I will put a bullet in your head." I heard the voice before I felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed into my temple, I cursed silently. _Fudge sticks._ This was definitely not my paranoia acting up, something bad was about to happen.

I felt him push me, none too gently, in the direction of the others. "Woah man I get it, hold your horses." He sneered before pushing me even harder. I bit back another smart ass reply that would probably get a bullet planted in my head and quickened my pace so he wouldn't be able to jab me with the barrel of his gun. Something strong wrapped around my upper arm as I rounded the corner, and before I knew it I was being thrown into the middle of the elevator next to the smooth-speaking-trench-coat-wearing-German-guy. I tripped over my own feet at the sudden harshness of the push and fell onto my knees, the man who had caught me filing in before the doors closed behind him.

"What have we here, Karl?"

"Yeah! Jesus Christ, Karl!- where are your manners? I bet your mom didn't teach you to behave like that in front of a lady!". I went to standup but was pushed down harshly by Karl's foot back to the ground. "Oh, I see she taught you to kick too."

"Why you little-"

"Enough! I won't have you acting like a fool already, she is merely playing with your anger, and you are letting her." I was pulled to my feet by a large hand clamping around my arm once again, hauled into the chest of whom I'd labeled as the leader as of now. Our bodies were so close that they grazed each other, but from this far I could make out his musky scent of leather and tobacco - something I didn't think smelt good on men – though admittedly, it suited him quite well. His brown eyes assessed my face and body, while I managed to keep mine at head level, albeit I couldn't help but admire the facial features I did see. He had a large nose that was strong and chiseled like the rest of his face; he had a pair of full pink lips that curved around the edges; a neatly trimmed beard and goatee decorated his masculine jawline, making him seem even more German than before; and his hair was brown with a few streaks of gray, combed to the right side and back the rest of the way.

 _Holy shit he's handsome._

I gulped as the thought crossed through my head, I mean, I couldn't technically blame my body for heating up at being so close to an extremely hot German guy, but I didn't agree with feeling so outright attracted to a man. Especially when that man had a gun, and a bunch of friends with guns.

"How much have you heard?"

"Nothing."

 _Close to nothing, but good enough, I've figured out more thanks to Karl though, and common sense. Not that_ _ **that**_ _needs to be mentioned at all_ I thought bitterly, though I could feel a touch of fear racing through my veins, accompanied by an extra dosage of adrenaline.

He narrowed his eyes at me, crow's feet forming around the corners of his face as if he was trying to look into my soul and see if I was telling the truth. I was definitely very glad that I was a good liar, or this could have ended with me on the floor with a bullet in my skull. "Hm, what is your name? It seems I've met a very pretty woman in the most unfortunate of situations."

 _What is wrong with this guy? Are all men's motives really to get in a woman's pants?_ "Is this you're sick attempt at trying to flirt with me? God the nerve of German people, now I see why everyone hates them!" I regretted my words as soon as they left my mouth, having to prevent a flinch or face palm as I awaited my captor's reply. _Hadley you are effing stupid as hell,_ I grimaced.

He chuckled, a melodious sound that rumbled deep in his chest and vibrated my whole body, as soon as it stopped I wanted him to laugh again. _Jesus, am I really that cliché? Ugh._ "As much as it amuses me to listen to your little outbursts, I've asked for your name, and I expect an answer." His voice, face, and body language all took a serious tone about them in a second's notice, and I could feel the color drain from my face at the thought of being at gunpoint. Just as quickly it was replaced by anger, how dare this man think he can prance in here and demand her name because he has a gun! _Well that is a pretty good reason- oh shut up!_

"My name is Hadley McClane." I replied curtly, trying to pry myself from his grip, but it remained unfaltering on my arm.

The hand that gripped my upper arm drifted down the path my exposed skin, freezing me to my spot, my breath choking in the back of my throat at the trail of fire he left behind his touch. The bastard was doing it on purpose! I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to contain a moan, or groan, or whatever was threatening to spill over my lips at his soft caressing fingers. He took my hand in his, and I found it surprisingly warm and soft, though much larger than my own. It looked as if he had the hands of pianist, it felt that way, too. They beckoned my eyes open at the slightest of squeezes, and immediately mine met his in an intense gaze. I couldn't decipher what was behind the carefully guarded eyes, not that my brain could function properly as it was. All I could do was stare blankly, and hopefully not with my mouth open, in awe at how dangerously predatory this man was and yet so alluring at the same time. "Hadley," he whispered against the soft skin of my knuckles, "what a beautiful name." I shuddered, hopefully he didn't notice, but I knew he did when he let out a small chuckle at the shaky breath that escaped my lips. "My name is Hans Gruber, it's a pleasure."

I snatched my hand back, recovering speedily from my lapse of weakness (spurred by desire, what else?) causing a hurt expression to run over his face before it just as quickly became one of annoyance and anger. "I would say likewise, but I would be lying." _Do you have a death wish? Jesus keep your mouth shut!_

Hans's lips pressed into a thin line as he looked at her over the brim of his nose, his eyes had slightly narrowed, though the crease on his forehead spoke loads of what was happening in his mind. I could practically see the cogs working in his head, his dark eyes turning cold at my blatant disrespect of his authority. I could tell he was one of the people you didn't dare cross the line with unless you were aware of the consequences, but I couldn't help but test the waters. It was easy to see he wouldn't take this lightly, and even easier to notice that me having undermined his rank was a decision I would pay for.

 _Ding!_

Saved by the bell, quite literally too, I was sure Hans was going to snap my neck or out a bullet between my eyes if there was another moment of thought. Everyone else in the elevator began moving forward slowly, I hadn't noticed the other people had pulled out their guns until they began to quietly unload. No one in the party seemed to notice the new arrivals with their machine guns, and I was admittedly astounded- how could you miss the hot German guy that was surrounded by mercenaries? _Ignorance is bliss I guess._

I went to slip into the crowd and hopefully go unnoticed before the gunfire went off, but I was held back by a tight grip on my arm. I felt Hans before I heard him or the gunshots, but when they did echo even the warm feeling of his body against mine didn't block out the cries and screams from the lump of people as they realized this was a life or death situation. His men scattered and occasionally their guns went off, I just hoped no one was getting killed. I looked into the crowd that had been rounded up like a bunch of sheep, searching for a pair of familiar eyes when they found mine. My mom's eyes were wide with fear, but not a moment after I'd caught them my head was ripped in Hans's direction with my chin gripped firmly between his fingers. He leaned down until his lips were brushing my ear, and I felt my whole body stiffen at such close proximity with him. "You shall be dealt with later, but it would be in your best interest to behave or your punishment will be more severe." I gulped at the cold tone his voice had taken akin to its deep timbre, my body shivering down to the core as a million scenarios ran through my head of what "punishment" could mean.

I was suddenly pushed in the direction of one of the goons, his hand replacing where Hans's had been not many moments before. Catching myself from falling, I grimaced at Hans's back as he took off his coat and black shirt that covered his suit. The crowd was still at its large in volume, the gunshots quieting some but making others even louder than before. He reached into his trousers' pockets and pulled out a small leather bound book, I couldn't make out any words from where I stood but it seemed to be a notes page of sorts in extremely cursive writing. "Ladies and gentleman." His deep accented voice wasn't lost over the sea of screaming people, but it didn't quiet down until he repeated it. "Ladies and gentleman!" They all quieted down at that, but I couldn't focus on what he was saying, my mind racing and heart thrumming in my ears about what was about to transpire and what would transpire later. _Oh god I'm fucked, why'd you have to get in a quarrel with a descendent of Hitler?_

Hans licked his finger then flipped through the pages of the book a couple of times before he promptly closed it and replaced it in his pant pockets again. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the Nakatomi Corporation's legacy of greed around the globe, it is about to be taught a lesson on real power. You...will be witnesses. If our demands are not met, however you may become participants instead. Now, where is...'Takagi'? Where is the man who..." Hans gave a slight, smug smile to the crowd, "...used to be in charge here?" _Oh, so that's his name._ It wasn't the best way to find out I admit, but I suppose it was better than never finding out at all. _How optimistic of you._ My thoughts quickly quieted however when Hans turned to me with a quirked brow. I glared at him, not wanting to give away Mr. Takagi's position and definitely too mad to look at him any other way. _Damn hot Hitler reincarnation, it's no coincidence both their names start with "H"._

He shrugged and turned back to the crowd, reading off Mr. Takagi's life story like it was a biography straight from a book. I was lost on how he knew that much, I didn't even know that much about myself, but I couldn't help but feel fear prickle through me when he walked past him, the only reason Mr. Takagi hadn't been turned in was because of my mom holding him back. I could feel my mind trail to what he would do to both of us, better just me than him and I, but I guess I didn't have a choice in that.

"Enough!" Mr. Tagaki stepped forward, and I cursed silently, this couldn't possibly mean any good.

"… and father to five." Hans wrapped up his little hunting session with a smirk, facing the Japanese man who was dwarfed into comparison of Hans's towering stature, though he didn't shrink down a bit. "Mr. Takagi, how do you do? It's a pleasure, I'm Hans Gruber." He held out his hand but before the shocked Mr. Takagi could take it he was being shoved to the elevator by Karl, whom I hadn't noticed had entered the search. I was pushed in the direction as well, though I tried to peel away at one point Hans grabbed me (none too kindly I might add) and all but threw me in the elevator by Mr. Takagi. I could see the nervousness etched into the contours of his face, but he had some balls I must admit.

"What is the meaning of having the girl here? She is of no use to whatever it is you want me to do."

Hans smirked before entering himself and pressing the thirty fourth floor button. "On the contrary she is quite vital to the operation."

I had to hold in vomit at that, I felt as if my heart might explode from how fast it was beating. _What the fucking hell is that supposed to mean? Oh god I'm screwed. Royally screwed!_ I stood by Mr. Takagi, making sure not to touch any of the men on either side of me. I could see Hans staring at one of us two, or maybe both of us, I couldn't tell, but I was nervous and so was Takagi, and we both needed comfort. I subtly took his hand in mind, squeezing it reassuringly in which he looked at me, then our joined hands, then squeezed back. My body relaxed a bit, but I could feel a pair of eyes burning into my face, I didn't dare look into their hazel depths, instead I stared at my feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Nice suit. John Phillips, London?" My head snapped up at the airy comment Hans made, it was exactly how a usual awkward elevator conversation would go except it was even worse because Hans was holding us both hostage, and yet he found the sense to comment on Takagi's _suit_? _This guys is crazier than I first imagined, lord help me._ Takagi seemed as speechless as I, but Hans just smiled and the elevator dinged. "I have two myself." He exited, followed by a pushed Takagi and I who were still joined at the hands. "Rumor has it Arafat buys there."

Hans led the way into a modern room what was open, but he immediately walked over to the miniature model of the Nakatomi plaza, his eyes gazing upon the model with an admirable ambition. "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept. For there were no more worlds to conquer." He looked over his shoulder to Mr. Takagi, "The benefits of a classical education." I just barely managed to keep in an eye roll. I happened to like my head the way it was though, so I managed. Hans quickly made his way over to the model bridge, his eyes alight with a boyish delight that would have been cute had my life not been currently threatened. "It's beautiful. I always enjoyed models as a boy." I tried to imagine a younger, less sadistic, cute baby Hans, but I couldn't. "The exactness, the attention to every foreseeable detail... perfection." _His voice is perfection, I could listen to him talk for hours…_ I shook my head, those were not thoughts I needed to be having at a moment like these! My life was at stake! Now was the worst time to be having such thoughts.

Mr. Takagi, without knowing it, saved me from myself by returning the anger in my veins, I needed to hate this man, it should be coming first hand to despise this man… but it wasn't. "This is what this is about? Our building project in Indonesia? Contrary to what you people think, we're going to develop that region... not 'exploit' it."

Hans smiled lazily, "I believe you. I read the article in Forbes." He clapped his hand together, coming over to the pair of us and walking in-between us so our hands disconnected. "Mr. Takagi, we could discuss industrialization of men's fashions all day, but I'm afraid my associate, Mr. Theo, has some questions for you. Sort of fill-in-the blanks questions actually." He pushed Takagi in the direction of the meeting room where a black man was sitting at the computer, a coke to his right and a smile much too large for his face for being in the current predicament stretched his features. I scurried after him, not wanting to leave my only solace but was pulled back almost immediately. I was really beginning to hate how he did that. "Now, I wish you to behave, or, more than normal at least, or your lover won't make it out alive, yes?"

I turned at him with a locked jaw, "He's not my lover." I scowled, crossing my arms over before breaking out of his grip. He had a satisfied smile on his face, almost as if he needed reassurance for something, I didn't care what, and took a seat next to where I assumed Takagi would be.

Tagaki was currently standing next to the black man hunched over what looked to be a computer that was attached to the table. Hans had taken a seat next to them, and was smiling impishly at me, I could almost hear his thoughts taunting: _I know something you don't know!_ I tried to ignore it, but both our attentions were switched to Takagi when he suddenly blurted out: "I don't have that code...! You broke in here to access out computer?! Any information you could get - they wake up in Tokyo in the morning, they'll change it! You won't be able to blackmail our executives or threaten-"

"Sit down!" Hans barked, which took me (because he looked childish not moment before) and Takagi by surprise before he complied and sat next to me. My hand found his under the table and I held it for dear life, because maybe that was the case; I didn't know anymore, I just needed some sane physical touch. We were both dead people walking anyways. "Mr. Takagi...I'm not interested in your computer," Hans began more calmly, his hands folded over his chest, "I'm interested in the 640 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds you have in your vault." Tagaki looked shocked, and even though I admittedly was to, I didn't know who to be shocked at. I mean, who the hell keeps that much money in a place like this for Christ's sake, and why the hell is Hans so fucking relaxed about this? "Yes...I know about them. The code key is a necessary step in accessing the vault."

"You want...money? What kind of terrorists are you?" _I'm wondering the same thing, but then again, this is Germany, what do we expect?_

Hans chuckled, my attention swimming back to him. "Who said we were terrorists?" He slowly reached into his coat pocket, emphasizing every movement carefully until he drew a gun from the inside. My breath caught in my throat, and from the increased sweat coming from Tagaki I could tell he was having a similar reaction. I don't want to die, I mean, I know no one does but I don't want to die now!- I don't want to die a boring death for being a coward even if it is by a handsome German terrorist I'm hypothesizing is an ancestor of Hitler.

The gun he pulled out, I recognized as a Walther, had a silencer on the barrel, and ever so slowly he unscrewed it and softly set it on the table before setting the gun equally as softly next to it. "The code please?"

"It's useless to you! There's seven safeguards on our vault, and the code key is only one of them! You'll never get it open!" Tagaki pleaded, the perspiration on his brow growing tenfold.

"Then there's no reason not to tell it to us." Hans stated simply, his brow relaxing once more as he reclined in his chair.

"I told you..." I heard Theo murmur to Karl, my attention drawn to them.

"It's not over..." _They have a bet on this? Those sick mother fuckers…_

Hans gives them both a look like an annoyed schoolmaster and turned back to Takagi. "This is too nice a suit to ruin, Mr. Takagi. I'm going to count to three. There will not be a four. Give me the code. One…" His hand hovered over the gun. "Two…" He took it in his hand, paused for a moment, then picked it up. "Three-" He cocked it.

"I don't know it! Get on a Goddamn jet to Tokyo and ask the chairman! I'm telling you! You're just going to have to kill me –"

"Ok." Han raised the gun but I managed to be a hair quicker. I pushed Takagi's seat out of the way and he fell back and away from harm's way. The bullet shattered the glass door behind us, but the sound didn't scare me, the shock painted on Theo and Karl's face, and the anger on Hans's did. At least Tagaki looked pleased and gratified with not having a bullet in his head.

"I can help, computers are my specialty and cracking codes is my job." Hans narrowed his eyes at me, his jaw clenching before he gestured with his gun hand for me to take Theo's place. I walked confidently to where he sat, ignoring the stares I got from all the other occupants and took in the small computer in front of me. _Think, think, god Damnit Hadley think! I'm screwed, I can't do this, oh well it's too late, maybe he'll kill you and not Tagaki._ Cracking my knuckles I took the offered seat and began typing away, it was so fast I don't think anyone else had caught on that it was utter bullshit. There was nothing I could access from this computer, the only thing at all useful about this thing was it was main-wired to the system and if it was shut down then a lot of other things would be too. Or so I was hoping.

 _BINGO!_ I glanced at the coke glass to my left, biting my lip and praying to god my death could be swift. I knocked it over and it fell almost too perfectly on the key-board of the computer. With crack followed by a hissing sound and the screen going fuzzy before it went black, I looked over at Hans with a feigned sheepish smile on my face and shrugged innocently. "Oops."

Hans's eyes lit with rage, and I wasn't sure that my bold move was such a good idea after all. I had never seen someone so angry in my life, even after living with a hot-head with my dad. This was the kind of anger that drive people to insanity, but before I could protest he had raised the gun and shot the helpless Tagaki who was still on the ground. My stomach twisted, and as the life left his eyes and his brains spurt out onto the floor around him I knew I was dealing with a maniac.

"You're insane." I whispered blankly, my voice low and cracking as I looked at the corpse on the ground. I had seen dead people, but I had killed this man, maybe not by pulling the trigger myself but I might as well have.

"Insanity is often mistaken for genius, Miss McClane. But I can assure you, I am no psycho, just a visionary, hopefully now you can see what happens when you disobey me." He put his gun in his pocket and roughly pulled me to his feet, our faces only inches apart, and it felt as if he'd stolen my breath straight from my lungs. I didn't know if I wanted to kill him or kiss him. "Because next time, I may kill someone that you love, yes?" I didn't say anything, and he didn't let me answer, everything had become hazy. I let a man die because I was being a smart ass, because of my carelessness Tagaki was dead, and if I kept acting careless he might kill Holly or John too, or maybe even find out about Lucy and John Jr. and kill them as well. I wanted to choke back my pride and be submissive for the well-being of my family and friends, but the more I stared at Hans the more angry and rebellious I felt the need to be, he made me want to lash out, and even though he "disciplined" me, I knew he enjoyed it. _Oh god what am I going to do? God, if you are real, please work some magic here, because things are about to get a whole hell of a lot worse…_

In that moment one thought managed to fall in place in my reeling head: Hans Gruber was someone who liked to be one hundred percent in charge.


	3. Chapter 2: A little ho-ho-hope

**(You all have no idea how hard it was to write this chapter! Well its sort of a filler, but obviously necessary. Next chapter is where I begin straying from the plot and all the entertaining stuff starts happening. I don't own Die Hard, but I do own the hopes that you enjoy this and review~ and yes I know that was cheesy as fuck. But enjoy anyway.)**

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 _Chapter 2: A little ho-ho-hope is better than none_

Tagaki's body had been disposed of right away, but it didn't stop the sinking feeling in my stomach as my mind finally began coming to terms with what was going on. Its only my luck that I go to the lobby and a bunch of German thieves decide to show up, if I had not been so curious I could have called the cops and saved my parents from harm. Then I wouldn't be the center of the leader's attention for my big mouth and brash boldness either. _Idiot idiot idiot! I'm so fucking stupid! Why did I have to provoke him like that? Maybe he'll kill me and this will all be over. So much for getting dad to punch Ellis._ My heart perked, I hadn't saw dad in the crowd, so either he was dead or he escaped. I prayed for the latter, though if he died I know he would've taken a few guys down with him so I could safely assume he was alive.

Then there was a thump, a loud one that caught everyone's attention in the room across from us. It was definitely not one of the goonies, because everyone seemed as alarmed as I when it happened. Karl shot out the door and ran around the corner, I prayed whatever or whoever made that sound would stay alive and get us out of this shitty situation. Karl came back a couple moments later, and I couldn't help but smile a bit when he looked dejected and slightly angry. "Nothing."

Hans nodded, "See to Heinrich." Then he began walking, and seeing no other way to go I followed him, feeling slightly like a lost puppy, though I was feeling more like a puppy that would get shot if it moved in the wrong direction. So less lost and more beaten into submission to put it frankly. "Now… you can crack the code key?"

Theo smirked happily, "You didn't bring me along for my charming personality." _Charming wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe your personality, but whatever floats your boat…_ Hans smiled and entered the elevator, Theo coming in behind me. I stood as far away from both of them as I could, though I still heard him mutter in a put out tone: "'Though you could have." I wanted to smile, but I couldn't find it in me to, especially when I was, once more, dragged from the elevator, just this time on a desolate floor that looked to be a lone, spacious office.

"How long?" He dragged me to the center of the room where one of the walls began opening to reveal a silver room upon Theo swiping a card against a wall, the room that I assumed to be the jackpot of the night: the vault.

"Thirty minutes to break the code...Two hours for the five mechanicals. The seventh lock...that's out of my hands." Theo explained as. I tried to take in as much knowledge as possible of the current situation while seeming uninterested, but I didn't know any details of what kind of codes they were working with, so it was slightly hard.

I stood slightly to the side and behind Hans, though his hand was still latched onto my arm I couldn't help but stare at the vault room. I had only seen these types of things in movies after all. "I'm sorry?"

"The seventh lock, the electromagnetic seal." Theo explained, staring at Hans with a sort of blank look. "You do understand that the circuits can't be cut locally." I suddenly remembered hearing this in one of my classes at the NYPD, and I was suddenly very mad that that was the class I'd decided to fall asleep in. _Just my luck._

"Trust me." Hans turned away, smirking as he went and began leading me to a staircase that I soon realized led down to the party floor. His radio crackled, and a voice came through.

"We've got a fire alarm."

Hans fished the radio from his pocket, having to let me go for a moment, before switching his other hand to hold me. I would've had to suppress an eye roll had the conversation not piqued my interest. _Whoever you are stay alive please._ "Call 911, give them the guard's name, the building code number, and cancel the alarm, then disable the system." I peered around Hans's shoulder, peaking at the crowd that was speaking and yelping every so often, my eyes searching for my mom who was comforting a pregnant woman. Hans stopped, making me stop abruptly with him in which my arm slightly twisted, I grimaced, not that he seemed to notice. He looked back at one of the guards who was leaning over the railing at the top of the first set of stairs before talking back into the radio. "Eddie what floor did the alarm go off on?"

"32."

He tucked the radio away, "Tony check out floor 32 and see if anyone is there. Kill them if they are." With that he skipped down the rest of the steps, lugging my body behind him before going to the head of the room by the buffet table. He let me go and began picking at the foods, putting some on his plate and tasting others. I stared at him in disbelief, before figuring I could be exploiting this time. I turned to the crowd, my eyes meeting my mom's; her lips began moving, and I read every word with frantic precision. 'What is going on?'

I tried to be subtle and curt, moving my lips to convey the message: 'they're stealing money' when a smooth hand ripped my head to the side. A white hot pain shot through the nape of my neck at the quick movement, but my face was squished between Hans's forefinger, middle finger, and thumb. His lips were curled up to show his teeth, and upon closer inspection I noticed he had an olive stuck to the rim of his tooth, but I found myself staring at his tongue when it slid over the polar white. My mind began to wander in not so appropriate places, and I had to shake myself to stop from thinking what other things his tongue could do. _I am a sick, sick person. I am having personal affairs with someone who is holding me hostage and has threatened to kill me almost three times, though indirectly._ "You seem very eager to get on my bad side Miss Hadley, even after I've punished you. Maybe I wasn't convincing enough—I can assure you though, I am a very convincing person." He purred with a sky smirk, his full lips pulling up as I continued to stare at them, and secretly imagine how they'd feel on mine. _Focus Hadley god Damnit!_

I squirmed under his tense gaze, my jaw clenching before she tried to get out from his hold, though my half-effort resulted in no gain. He was so intoxicating to be so close to, and I hated it. "Get off me," I managed airily, in which he grinned widely and pulled me closer. Our bodies were touching, albeit only a bit, but even through the layers of clothing separating us I could feel the heat emanating off his body.

"That doesn't sound too convincing, but however much I'd like to punish you now in front of all these people, I will have to deal with you later." He pat my cheek like he would a child and pulled me back to the table, an arm wrapping around my waist affectionately as if we'd been close friends for many years. With his free arm he popped another olive in his mouth and then began addressing the crowd. "Attention everyone! Please, quiet down now," any talking ceased at the Sound of Hans's voice, and I too found myself staring at him like I was under a trance, he merely popped another olive into his mouth. "Yes, thank you. I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way..." Hans paused and leaned forward from his position on the table, pulling me closer to him. "So he won't be joining us for the rest of his life." There were loud gasps and quiet murmurs. I thought it was obvious as he hadn't come back with us, but what was most irking was how Hans had said it: he said it as if he was telling a casual thing, not the death of a living, good person like Tagaki. I wanted to punch him in the jaw, but my arms were trapped at my sides, not to mention I would die before I could raise my fists. "We are prepared to go any way you make us. When we have achieved our aims you can walk out of here... or be carried out. Decide now, each of you. But remember that we have planned everything to the last detail. We are completely in charge. And please remember, we have left nothing to chance." I gulped as his words sank in. I had figured this out when I saw Tagaki's lifeless body planned on the floor, but when it was said out loud and confirmed I felt sick to my stomach. _So I can either die a hero here, or leave with a mere piece of my pride intact, lovely._

The familiar ding of the elevator sounded, but no one seemed to notice until a scream rung in the room, and the eyes of a horror struck women widened in the direction of the elevator. The guard nearest looked frightened as well, his arms having gone slack at his sides as he opened his mouth in shock. Hans hurried over, his plate of olives long forgotten though I seemed to be permanently glued to his side. "Get them over there! Schnell!" I was quite taken aback when I saw what was in the elevator. It was Tony, and he obviously hadn't successfully neutralized the threat. _Which means that there's still hope!_ The body was cut around the face, fresh blood smeared across the corpse's dead skin. No glasses were on his face as they had been before, and instead of the obvious blonde hair there was a Santa hat, and some words in what looked to be red lipstick. Hans let me go, but I didn't walk away, curiosity nagged at me as he reached and pulled Tony's shirt down to reveal the full writing on the shirt. "Now I have a machine gun," Hans read in a monotone voice, the coldness of it seeping into the pores of my being and making me shiver to the core. I did not want to see this man mad, and yet I did. "Ho, Ho, Ho." My dad however seemed to be very good at it, except he wasn't caught, so just as long as he stayed anonymous we could both be alright. Hans's eyes narrowed and he moved Tony's head, revealing that his neck had been snapped before they moved to his shirt.

"Perhaps a security guard we missed?" Fritz suggested, looking hopefully up at Hans who was staring at the dead body like me.

"Security guard? They're usually tired and burned out old policemen growing fat on a pension...This is... something else." He turned away, but my eyes were glued to the dead body, a smirk threatening to curl at my lips at my dad's sick humor. It was something we both shared. _Stay alive Dad, I beg of you._ I hadn't even noticed Hans's cursing in German until Fritz spoke up again.

"We have to do something, Hans."

"Yes, we have to tell Karl his brother is dead. Call him down."

Fritz fumbled away with his controller as Hans peeled away from the elevator, my half subconscious self-following him as he went to Franco, I'd surprisingly picked up fast on these guys' names. "Franco, you and Fritz take the body upstairs and out of sight. I don't want the hostages thinking too much." With that he walked away, me following me behind despite my better thinking. Hans turned into the first office, which was ironically my mom's, before he took a seat in the leather chair behind the desk and surveyed me. I was standing in the doorway, not wanting to come in but not knowing where else to go.

"I see you followed me without request or force."

I rolled my eyes, "You are very observant, no wonder you're the leader of this operation. But if you must know, I don't think my arm could take much more forceful holding unless it wanted to pop off."

Hans clucked his tongue as he reclined in his chair, "Still haven't lost the sharp tongue though, it shall be fixed as well though, just sit down, it's in your best interest."

My brow furrowed, but I sat down on the couch against the glass window that was between me and the hostages. As if on cue an extremely angry Karl burst into the room. I pressed into the cushion of the couch and tried to get as far from him as possible, but Hans wasn't as fortunate. Karl made his way over to the desk that Hans vacated himself from behind and flipped it over with a roar. Hans intervened before any more damage could be done and slammed Karl against the window, the blind crinkling behind his blonde man's body as he bared his teeth in Hans's direction. "I want blood!" Karl snarled angrily, and if his fists – which were clenched at his sides – were anything to go by, my father's death would not be easy.

"And you can have it! Just let Heinrich finish planting the detonators and Theo prepare the vault. After we call the police they will spend hours trying to negotiate then you can tear the building apart looking for this man, but until then we do not alter the plan!" I tried to take all that in, he was revealing quite a lot of information to me, but my brain was running a million miles per hour- just in the wrong direction.

"And if he alters it?"

Hans let him go and quirked his brow, pulling back and began pacing as Karl took a seat on top of the arm rest of a chair. They began conversing in German, and I tried to keep up, very glad I had chosen this language as my required two year language for High school. They were discussing further plans, nothing of much importance but then the conversation took an interesting turn. The topic of course being me.

"What of the girl?" Karl asked, my attention peaking as their thought-to-be-secret-chat became of me.

"She has heard too much, she can't go with the other hostages, she must stay here." Hans explained, turning to face Karl as I picked at my fingernails, trying to seem as uninterested and useless as possible.

"Then just kill her! I see no reason to keep someone who could jeopardize our plans."

"No, we won't kill her. We need a hostage for if we escape, and she's very pretty." My eyes widened, but neither caught on because a familiar voice crackled through Hans's radio that sat on the now upright desk.

"Mayday mayday! Mayday, Mayday! Anyone! Terrorists have seized and Nakatomi building and are holding 30 or more hostages! I say again -unknown number of terrorists, six or more, armed with automatic weapons at Nakatomi, Century City... Somebody answer me, Goddamnit!" My heart clenched at hearing my dad' voice over the speaker, he was alive! But all my hopes seemed to deflate as Hans leaned forward in the leather chair. "Where's the best place to transmit….? The roof! Go—go!" Karl left with a determined grimace on his face, Franco and Fritz following close behind. I wanted to pick up the radio and tell my dad to run but that could only jeopardize everyone's lives. I closed my eyes and prayed: _come on dad, pull through, you've got to! For me, John Jr. and Lucy. Fuck- pull through for Holly! Please dad._ "No fucking shit lady! Do I sound like I'm ordering a pizza!" I opened my eyes and stare at the radio, having shot forward in my seat until I was barely on the edge. Dad must've gotten in contact with someone, but I couldn't hear the other recipient. "They've already killed one hostage and they're fortifying their position while you're jerking me off on the radio! Now send police back up ASAP!—fine! Come report me, come the fuck down here and arrest me! Just send the police now!" Then I heard gunshots rippling through the radio, and almost all the hope I had left died with my dad. _No he can't be dead, no, John wouldn't die that easily. Oh god he can't be dead._

"It seems you have quite an attachment to this man, no?" My jaw clenched as I flopped back in my seat, my eyes closing as I tried to shut out the brimming over tears. I would not cry in front of this man.

"I have an attachment to anyone that can get me anywhere away from the likes of you."

The radio crackled. "We have him trapped." Fritz's voice said in German, Hans held his hand up to me, signifying this conversation would be continued later.

"He's alive then?"

"Yes. Karl has him trapped in the elevator shaft."

"The elevator shaft you say. Is it surrounded?"

"Completely."

"Perfect," Hans enunciated every syllable, now in English again (to my relief, I don't know how much more of their fast German I could translate). "The elevators are locked off. Shut him in and come back down. Karl the police are probably on their way already. Karl! I can stall them but not if they hear gunshots, if you lock him in he'll be neutralized- Karl! Karl?" When no reply came back Hans slammed the radio on the desk, cursing before running a hand through his hair, though I noticed he didn't mess it up at all.

I scoffed, "So much for being in total control, I've seen a drunk man have better control over his piss waterfall than you do over your men."

I don't know what had gotten into me, but it seemed Hans was expecting something like this and was readily prepared. "Some things are not fully in my control, but you, however, are. I have many methods to get what I want, because in the end I always do, but I'm keen on approaching some other ones now if need be. You are after all not learning," A beat, "you'll find I can be very persuasive when I need to be. A man's mouth can work many mysteries in more than one way, and I would be delighted to give you a firsthand lesson on how." I felt my cheeks flush at the thought of his mouth. My mind trailed back to when he was eating the olive and all the thoughts associated with that, except now with that sexual innuendo I wasn't sure if he was implying we'd snog graciously or that he'd threaten me to death. The former actually sounded preferable, because being kissed by a well-groomed German guy didn't sound all that bad when the other option was threats, probably not empty ones either. _Just admit you want him to kiss you! If it weren't for your stubborn ness you would be in Hans-land with the company of your hormones!_ I felt more blood rush to my cheeks though the heat in between my legs was much more prominent. I was very glad he didn't know about it, though I think he had a hunch. Ironically though the heat went to the same place for him, as I saw his hands – which had been precariously folded on the table in front of him – shifted down to his pants where he readjusted his trousers. There was silence for a moment as Hans stared at me intensely, his hazel eyes slowly picking me apart. I felt completely bare beneath his gaze, and though I hated the feeling I couldn't help but feel even more turned on by it.

He was the first to break the gaze, turning swiftly in the chair and getting on his feet before taking to the large glass window in one stride. I followed suit, the curiosity and lack of solid thought rendering me uncaring of how obedient I looked. I peered around Hans's frame, staying close enough to where I could feel the warmth seeping off his suit but far enough to where I wasn't touching him, and therefore to where my self-control wasn't tested too much. "Eddie?" Hans spoke into the radio.

"I had a feeling you'd be calling Hans."

"Take care of him if he gets too close." I noticed what they were speaking of moments later. A cop car had pulled into the front loop of Nakatomi Plaza, but I happened to know it wasn't anyone of great significance.

"It's just a black and white, he can't do anything, you won't have to kill him." I explained airily, not even realizing that I'd talked until the words had come out of my mouth.

Hams turned partially to me, an eyebrow quirked before looking back out the window. "If he gets too close he'll have to die."

"I'm too close, and I'm not dead yet." The silence between us was heavy as my words sunk in both of our minds.

"Yes, that's true." Another beat. "But I don't know just why yet either."

However romantic the notion was, it passed and was shattered with the loud crash below and a tirade of gunshots. I looked back at the cop car which was speedily driving away, in reverse might I add. Its hood was shattered and a trail of fire was following it as it swerved. "Holy mother of shit. That escalated quickly." I cursed in a mix of horror and astonishment, my thoughts being voiced aloud on accident, though at least it wasn't anything too bad.

"Quite a mouth you have on you. Again, I can only wonder."

But he had to make it bad.

The heat returned in both places, but I didn't dare look up at him in fear that I'd act upon my instinct, which told me to kiss him senseless. I was glad to be saved by the bell (again), except the bell wasn't exactly a bell, it was a large number of police siren's that wailed and piled into the front lawn of the plaza. "Praise Jesus the lord! Hallelujah! God only knows how much I've been wanting to hear that sound." But I couldn't bring myself to utter a single syllable, instead I only managed to feebly take a step back and sit on the edge of my mother's desk from the sudden rush of heat and nausea. Being so close to him and yet so far made me sick; I either needed to be touching him or an arm's length minimum away from the man if I wanted to be borderline ok. Though kissing of five hundred feet away was a good happy medium. Hans watched me retreat, but my gaze was scarce as was my confidence under the stare of his hazel eyes.


	4. Chapter 3: Butterflies & Revelations

**(You have no idea how much fun this chapter was to write. There's a little something' somethin' in there I hope you enjoy, but its about to get real good. Also I don't own Die Hard if you didn't know, or Hans Gruber for that matter...)**

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 _ **Thief Of Hearts**_

 _Chapter 3: Butterflies, Revelations, and Tampons_

The stupor Hans had put me under, whether it be intentionally or not, was still currently having an effect on me. It was like being present but not actually there, like you were daydreaming except the person not two feet from you was the cause because they were irrevocably handsome and you were for some reason attracted to them despite them having kidnapped you and thrown multiple sexual innuendos your way. Maybe other people's situations weren't quite that specific, but you get the gist. I, for the life of me, could not focus on anything but Hans. I was beginning to wonder how the hell he'd invaded my mind so suddenly and so overpoweringly, but it left a cold feeling, or at least I think it did. No matter how much I tried to warm myself up, whether it be by friction, wrapping myself in laying around clothes, or breathing on my hands the cold feeling never left me, instead accompanied by a pit in the bottom of my stomach that seemed to grow more void of feeling as every second ticked by. I had taken to standing behind Hans when the whole crew came in, or most of it (some were still working on planting the bombs). Names had been labeled for each person in my head, and I noticed they all looked at me at one point, some even having lustful gazes. One thing they all shared, however, was fear for their mission, as the police had come in guns a blazin' in large numbers. At the moment that knowledge was my only solace. "All of you relax, this is a matter inconvenient timing, police action was inevitable…" He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment, "and as it so happens case necessary. So let them fumble about outside and stay calm, this is simply the beginning." I gulped at hearing his words, fear twisting my gut while everyone else seemed to relax at Hans's words. The radio crackled and I flinched, not wanting to here anymore bad news that could pile on to my negative mood. "I told all of you...I want radio silence until further –"

"Gee, I'm sorry, Hans, nobody gave me the message." Hans looked around in bewilderment, his brow tapered at how this man was still alive, let alone contacting him. "You shoulda put it on the bulletin board. Anyway, I thought you and Franco and Karl and the other boys might be lonely, now that I waxed Tony and Marco and their buddy. So I wanted to give you a call." My heart swelled, the game wasn't over yet, no, it was far from over. I had to suppress a smile, or dancing at that, from how happy I was. _Thank you lord, thank you thank you thank you!_

"How does he know so much about –" Hans held up his hand, and Franco shut his mouth.

"Ah how kind of you, as you are our mysterious party crasher. You are most troublesome for a security guard?" Shivers jolted down my spine at the sound of his collected voice, I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster of fear, excitement, pride, and extremely ignored pleasure. Pride won out, and a small smirk pulled up the corners of my lips as I thought about how wrong, maybe for the last time, Hans was.

"BZZZ! Sorry, Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy, where the stakes are double and the scores really change?"" Hans looked even more confused as he stared at the radio, his brow only furthering further in a shape that was quite… adorable. _Did I just use the word adorable? God be with me, I really am going nutso._

"Who are you, then?" Hans asked carefully, his voice low and dangerous sounding. I was beginning to fear heavily for my dad, and myself; him of being dead and me of falling under this German man's spell.

 **"** Just the fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass." My dad answered back, and I could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he said this. The worst part was he didn't even know what was going on, that I was here listening like a bird in a trapped cage at Hans's will, and for some part of me enjoying it. _If dad knew about this, oh god me and Hans would both be screwed a million times over. Me especially._

"Check on all the others...don't use the radio. See if he's lying about Marco and find out if anyone else is missing." Hans commanded, all his cronies led by Karl zipping out of the room at lightening speed, giving me time to sit down, or more accurately slump down, onto the chair in front of the table and bury my face in my hands. There was a pause where no one talked, but I could feel Hans's eyes staring into my head. "Mr. Mystery Guest? Are you still there?"

 **"** I wouldn't think of leaving, Hans. Unless you want to open the front door...?"

 **"** I'm afraid not. But you have me at a loss - you know my name, but who are you?" His voice took a scornful tone to it, "Just another American who saw too many movies as a child. Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne...Rambo... Marshal Dillion."

 **"** Actually, I was always partial to Roy Rogers. I really dug those sequined shirts." I listened carefully, briefly thinking about all the times we'd watch the 'King of the Cowboys' on his show, but it ended as quickly as it started.

 **"** Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?" Hans hissed into the speaker, eyes still on my head.

"Yipee-ki-yay mother-fucker."

The radio went silent, and I leaned back into the chair, pulling my hands from my face and tried not to break out crying. Butterflies were swimming in my stomach as I glanced up at Hans, his handsome features stricken with anger and annoyance, his strong jaw clenched and ever so supple lips pressed together in a fashion that was unintentionally erotic.

I slumped further into the chair I sat in as a thought came to mind; not only was I attracted to Hans (physically, I mean who couldn't be? He's practically model material), but I was also attracted to _him._ All of him. Personality included.

Mind you it was just a crush, but hell, no one should be fucking crushing on their captor, not even when he looked like Hans.

Karl swooped in to rescue me from my thoughts, and the news definitely helped my mood as well.

"He wasn't lying about Marco: He's thirty stories down on the street. The other man is Heinrich, and I found his body upstairs." A beat. "And his bag is missing."

Hans face took one of disbelief, "He had the detonators!" He picked up the radio and dialed a number, "Theo? Theo!" _This is good, the sooner I can get away from Hans the sooner I can enter myself in a mental asylum._

"Yo!" Theo's voice crackled through the radio, the sound of drilling filling the background.

"We may have some problems, what's our schedule?"

"Three down four to go." _Fuck._

"Then don't waste time talking to me."

"I'm screwed." I mumbled to myself, threading both hands into my hair and tugging viciously. Not only am I surrounded by a bunch of people with guns, but one happens to have influence over my body and mentality, and I'm pretty sure he's completely aware of it. And if he'd not he's smart enough to find out soon. _Fuck me, fuck fuck fuck._

I'm pretty sure no one heard me, because while I was too busy trying not to jump Hans's bones (shit I'd go that far already?) a new person had joined the conversation, and he was on our side. All I heard was something about finding detonators and everyone left, leaving me alone with Hans. He briefly glanced at me, and for once I was afraid, just not for the reasons anyone would assume. I should be afraid of him, but I was afraid of my affections towards him. _This is fucking peachy isn't it?_

He looked away and took a pen from the drawer, scribbling continuously down on a piece of paper and completely ignoring me. Part of me felt hurt, but another part was thankful I didn't have to feel his gaze burn into my soul anymore. If he looked hard enough I'm sure I would melt.

"Fritz, get me a television." Hans commanded in German, and at first, I must digress, I thought he was talking to me; just in time I caught myself from responding in German, and stood up to lay down on the couch. Hans watched the transition, but I didn't meet his gaze. In fact I didn't even look in his direction, and I wouldn't be surprised if he assumed I was ignoring him, because to an extent I was.

A few minutes passed and Fritz came in with a heavy duty television, setting it on the far end of the table for me but close enough to be seen and loud enough to hear. I didn't hear much though, because not a moment later there was a new guest: my mother. Her heels clicked as she entered the room, and I visibly gaped at her, not even noticing that I had lost complete composure of my feelings or schooling my expressions. She glanced at me, a sad look before looking back at Hans, a hard glare formed on her features. "I have a request."

Hans didn't look up, and continued writing. "What idiot put you in charge?"

"You did, when you murdered my boss." Hans looked up at her retort, and I let a smile grace my face at my mom's sharp remarks. _Her and dad definitely gave me my tongue, that's for damn sure._ "Now everyone's looking to me. And personally I'd pass on the job because I don't enjoy being this close to you."

Ditto mom.

Hans let a slightly amused smile cross his face, and I wondered if he thought about how alike my mom and I looked and how bold we both were. People often said we were twins, though my hair was flat and features sharper. I hoped he wouldn't notice, and prayed he wouldn't ever find out. "Go on."

"We have a pregnant woman out there," Holly began, which made Hans roll his eyes before she continued. "Relax, she'd not due for a couple of weeks, but sitting on that rock out there isn't doing her back any good, so I'd like permission to move her to one of the offices where there's a sofa."

"No but I'll have a sofa brought out to you, good enough?" I didn't notice Hans's glance my way, or the fact that he tried to make his compassion known to me, I was too focused on the scenarios of Hans finding out my mom was my mom.

"Good enough. And unless you like it messy I suggest bringing us in groups to the bathroom."

"Yes, you're right, it will be done." There was a slight pause, "is there something else?"

"I would like it if she joined us with the other hostages." Mom nodded her head in direction, and I immediately sat up straight at the notion. A ticket to get away from Hans would be lovely at the moment, I don't think my self-control was strong enough to last another minute alone with him.

"I'm afraid that can't be arranged," Hans said almost sadly, though I noticed he didn't look at my mother anymore, instead watching me deflate further into the couch as I tried to mouth to her 'save me please'. "Anything else?" Holly sent him a glare then briefly glanced over his shoulder to the picture of our whole family that was lying flat down.

"No, thank you."

She turned to leave, stopping in the doorway when Hans spoke again, having followed her lin of vision to the downturned picture frame. "Mr. Tagaki chose his people well Mrs…?"

"Genero, Miss Genero." She left with one last glance in my direction, and I sunk further into the couch, hoping it would swallow me whole and I wouldn't have to deal with Hans or my feelings anymore. It seemed my mom's coming only dug me into a deeper hole, because then I saw that despite being an arrogant terrorist, Hans was also compassionate enough to consider the welfare of the hostages. Which didn't help my case at all, as I was trying to dull my affections to zero. It only reversed that.

The news began rattling off bullshit that I tried to pay attention to but ultimately failed; it just went in one ear and out the other. The radio crackled, and my dad's voice only contributed to my shattered nerves. "Al? Al? You still with me babe, what's going on?" A pause where I assumed Al spoke, which only frayed my nerves more. I was beginning to think I'd burst of all the anticipation going on right now. This much adrenaline could not be healthy. "Come one what's going-" Another pause where no one spoke, and I could only fear the worst when my dad's voice came back on. "Jesus Christ that's it Al, you're coming in isn't it! Christ I told you what kind of people you are dealing with here!" Lights, harsh white lights flickered on and lit up the shades by the window, and once more I shot up and approached it, my mouth open in horror as the realization hit me full force like a smack in the face.

"They're fucking idiots!" I screeched, turning to Hans who was looking at me almost amusedly.

"They'll be coming, everyone get ready. Theo, you're the eyes now." He stood up, and in one graceful catlike move he was next to me at the window. I felt my boldness return, not for my sake, but for that of everyone else as I lunged for the remote. If I could tell them to back off maybe they'd listen.

Despite me going out on a limb that Hans was not ready for, he was much quicker than I could ever have imagined. Before I knew it he had both wrists pinned above my head and I was pinned to the wall. He clucked his tongue at me, purposefully pressing, or what I assumed to be purposefully, his lower area to mine. I was trapped beneath his weight and strength, and he still had a free hand, which held the radio. He leaned in close to my face, his lips only an inch from mine, and the only reason I didn't kiss him was for the sake of everyone that could die if I got lost in my own desires.

 _Wait! That's it! God I hope this works._

Before a single word could be uttered from Hans's mouth I closed my eyes, sucked in a quick breath to steady my mind, and pressed my lips to his. I didn't see his eyes widen in shock then flutter close before he responded, I only felt his soft lips move against mine in an ardent reply. They were much softer than I could ever have imagined, so soft and plump and they felt so god damn _good._ It was better than anything I could have dreamed; to have his lips massaging my own in a slow, passionate way that was completely sensual. His scent filled my nostrils and overwhelmed my senses, and the breath I had taken before was almost immediately sucked back out of me by his wonderfully skilled mouth. This was too good, so good that I forgot I was his hostage, that he threatened my parents, was probably going to kill my whole family, and that I should hate him more than anything in this whole world. Even the prickly feeling of his beard turned me on, and the heating of my stomach grew until it felt warm enough to be a fully functional oven. We both pulled back for a breath, but one moment apart seemed too long for either of us as not a second later out lips crashed again. My hands went to his perfectly combed hair (as he'd let my hands go amidst the throe of passion) and I tugged on it, earning a soft, animalistic growl in his chest that shook my whole body in a completely erotic way. His tongue traced the seam of my lips in which I granted full access, completely happy to obliged to the exploring of my mouth; from cavern to base my mouth was filled with the sweet taste of him. And I admittedly couldn't get enough.

 _More, more, more!_ My mind and body begged in unison, having completely folded to him, my moaning into his mouth only confirming I had lost this battle completely. I was supposed to be stealing the remote from him, using the kiss to distract him long enough to get it and save everyone! But the thought was buried beneath my passion, my wants that had been roused by the workings of his tongue and slight moving of his hips. His hand came around to my back and pressed me closer to him, his passion matching my own as his desire grew and self-control broke. I knew Hans had wanted this too, even if he was just kissing me to string me alone he could not put his much passion into a kiss as what we were sharing. It felt too real to be fake, as did the bulge in his trousers.

Our tongues danced, my carnal desire flared, the heat grew, so did the bulge in his pants, and yet neither of us made no move of stopping. We kissed like it was our last and I loved it, every moment of being close to him was beyond worth it, beyond anything I'd ever felt before.

"Huhum, alright, listen up guys. Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except… the four assholes coming in the rear in standard two by two formation." Hans made a move to silence his radio to continue kissing me, but he stopped, managing to pull back and collect himself to realize that he was needed. My lips were no doubt swollen from that, and one smug smirk as he pecked them before looking out the window over my shoulder confirmed that. He made no move to retract his body from mine though, only moving closer by resting his chin on my shoulder and leaning his head onto mine like we were hugging. I didn't know what to do with my arms, so I let them slide down his shoulders, barely restricting myself from moving them to his no-doubt-well-shaped-German-ass. I rested my head on the window behind me, glad the shades between the hostages and us were pulled close as I tried to regain my breath and a mere scrap of all my lost composure. _Well that didn't go as planned._ Without knowing it I had leaned into his touch, my head pressing equally as softly to his as I steadied the fast moving of my chest. I needed a cold shower, and soon.

Then his lips were on my neck, pressing soft kisses to my skin and leaving a trail of fire wherever he went. I could feel his teeth graze sometimes, before it was kissed then lapped with the pad of his tongue. _Shit, no mouth should make any thoughts this sinful come to mind. I need to guzzle some holy water, oh Christ!_ "Don't be impatient," He spoke into the radio, though I thought it was a double message that I could definitely take as a sexual innuendo as well. Then his hands found mine, and they were pinned once more before he spoke back into the radio. "Just injure them." My eyes widened and I squirmed against him, cursing colorfully as I tried to free myself of him and punch his beautiful face, or something!

His eyes closed before promptly opening and narrowing again, the hazel hues having taken on a darker shade that made them almost as black as his pupils. "Unless you'd like to test my self-control further, I would advise to stop moving your hips against mine before I ravish you in this damned office!" He ground out, and though my movements stopped almost immediately, every word sent a fresh wave of desire to my stomach, his attempts at self-preservation only turning me on further.

 _Damn you, hormones!_

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, what have we here gentleman…. And lady." A pause, "the police have themselves an RV. Southeast corner." My heartbeat increased, _RV? Its probably one of the new tank-car things, oh fuck._ "Get over there!" I managed to twist around in his hold, hands still held against my will and body still pressed to mine, just now against my backside. I scanned the outside for what Theo was talking about, my mouth going drier by the minute; I didn't even feel Hans shift to where his cheek pressed to mine and we were both peering out the gaps looking for the car. A burst of orange lit up in the left corner of the window, and huge flames erupted from the vehicle that was now indefinitely immobilized. My mouth fell open at the sight, and my discomfort increased as my stomach twisted, _I think I'm going to be sick._ "Oh god and the quarterback is toast!"

"Hit it again." I gaped at Hans, they were already dead, there was no point in blowing it up more. I opened my mouth to retaliate but my dad beat me to it.

"Hans you mutherfucker you made your point, let them pull back!"

"Thank you, Mr. Cowboy, I'll take it under advisement. Hit. It. Again."

"Hans you shitface!" I screeched, managing to find a steady sliver of resolve to elbow him in the gut and wrench free of his hold. "How cold you!?" It didn't seem my elbow to his gut did him much harm, because in a moment he was back up again as if it'd never happened.

"There are some things you don't understand, about this operation especially. What I do is not in your control, no matter how much you think it is, however it would be my utmost pleasure to demonstrate how much power I hold over you in front of everybody, which I'm sure would be quite the feat, don't you think?"

My jaw clenched, but I didn't respond. I was too busy reprimanding myself for being such a hormonal pussy, I was succumbing to the bad guy when I should be fighting him with all my will! I was going through little bipolar mood swings where I was frightened for everyone else's life, fawning over Hans, and then being a bold badass. It just didn't make sense!

 _Maybe I'm on my period, wait, another idea, but this one might actually work if I don't go snogging him again!_

"Hans." He turned to look at me, and I gulped, letting a blush spread to my cheeks. "Uh, I think, I think its that time…"

He looked at me oddly for a moment, brow furrowed together before realization struck, and his eyes went wide. "Oh, oh, well, uh, do you have the, ahem, proper things?"

I blushed further, fiddling with the hem of my dress as I tried to hide my smirk. I'd never seen such a confident man fold at a conversation so quickly, _I should have pulled the wool over his eyes hours ago!_ "Yes, but they are in my purse, is it okay if I go get it?"

Hans looked a bit flustered but called Franco into the room, whispering something into his ear before shooing me. "Come right back." I smirked internally, _don't plan on it._

* * *

I led the way to my mom's personal bathroom, grabbing my purse and going in the bathroom with a nervous smile to Franco who was playing with a deck of cards. Right when the door shut I gave my thanks to god, pulling out my gun that'd I'd left in there earlier and checking to make sure it was filled. Just then the building shook, and I could hear Franco curse before knocking on the door. "You alright in there?"

"You have no idea," I muttered to myself, kissing the barrel of my gun before tucking the ammo away in the waist of my dress. I cocked my gun, opened the door then in on swift movement I knocked the butt of the gun to his head and watched his eyes roll back into his head. Before he fell I caught him, not wanting to make any abrupt noises that could alert Hans of my plan. I did a quick pat down, taking his weapon and radio and anything else of use on him before dragging his limp body into the bathroom and locking it behind me as I left. I pressed myself against the wall next to the door, the news lady's voice loud enough to be heard from Holly's office.

 _"_ _We've had an update on the terrorist takeover of the Nakatomi building, sources say the terrorist leader is a man by the name of Hans Gruber, a member of a radical group called the Volksfrei movement. Oddly they published a communique about an hour ago saying that Gruber had been expelled from that organization."_

I didn't stay a moment longer. I slipped through the door and went to the nearest exit: a staircase. I opened the door and shut it softly behind me, leaning against the cool metal as I tried to catch my breath. "Stay alive dad, stay alive for me, I'm coming." With a prayer fresh on my lips I climbed the stairs, glad I wore flats and not high heels. I had no idea what I was doing, I didn't know where anyone was, how I planned on staying alive and avoiding Hans and his goons, all I knew was that I was free and it needed to stay that way, because if Hans got me back shit would only roll downhill from there.


	5. Chapter 4: Bluffing is an Art

**(Ahhhh! Sorry for not updating sooner but I was gone all last weekend for a soccer tournament so I didn't get to post. However here it is, so enjoi because its long and was very difficult to write. By the way I don't Own Die Hard.)**

 _Chapter 4: Bluffing is my specialty_

My breathing rate had increased tenfold by the time the thirty fifth floor had come into view. I was panting heavily, but only after nearly having a heart attack on the thirty second floor when I found a couple of the goonies turning the corner. They didn't come to the stairs though, so I was ok in that fact. A chill swept over my body, and I realized the cold sinking in my stomach had returned, though when it left was completely beyond me, I just knew it was back and worse than ever. It almost felt like some dark omen that I was supposed to decipher, though I had no idea what it was trying to say, only that I was feeling quite cold despite the sweat I'd worked up. I opened the door slowly, and peaked out the door and made sure the coast was clear before creeping down the length of the hallway. "Oh my Jesus, god must be real." The room I happened upon was filled with computers, though from the looks of it none seemed to be on. I didn't care, I was in my domain, and it took everything in me not to scream out crying from joy at this treasure. I placed my gun down and began to feel for any buttons so I could reboot the computer. I pressed the on button, but when no response came I cursed to myself, scouring the area for wires and randomly plugging them in other places in hopes it would work. I plugged in the final cord to a re-router at the head of all the computers and jumped in joy once I saw that one flickered back to life. With fast hands I cracked the passcode to the main system and broke all the firewalls in my way, happy to see that I could make this computer the control unit for the whole building despite it being collaterally damaged beyond repair. Once I broke down the defenses everything seemed to come after that, and by then I had already formed a most devious game of bluffs that would throw everyone off course. Especially Hans.

"If you aren't part of the solution you're part of the problem, so stop being part of the fucking problem and put the other guy back on!" I turned down the radio and tried finding any files or routes that weren't completely damaged beyond repair, but as it seems Theo did a hell of a job in the control room, because very little was of help.

"Franco, do you copy? Where are you and what is taking you so long?" I stopped at that, fishing for a reply and the sound of Franco's voice as I picked up the radio.

"Almost ready Hans, just been having some, uh, difficulties you know?" I cringed at, shitty response, but went on with my work when Hans replied with a "Come quickly" which slightly calmed my raging nerves at my spontaneous actions. I turned the volume back down, oblivious to the fact that not only was I getting nowhere with my work, but I also wasn't typing at all. My mind had drifted elsewhere and my hands had stopped moving as a dark cloud settled over my thoughts. Something in my gut was screaming that nothing good was going to come soon, and being in an already shitty situation like I am I had to admit that I was slightly concerned. My badass personality had faded from the beginning of the night, and for once, all alone, I realized that I was scared. I was scared of having to deal with my feelings and thoughts all alone, scared of Hans, of what he made me feel, and scared that despite everything I didn't hate him. God I should hate him! I should want to watch him burn in hell for all he's done, but it doesn't feel that way, I don't want to watch him suffer or I would too. But I could stop it, or at least I could try. If I kept myself together, held myself from falling at all the loose seams I could save everyone here and Hans without falling for him. How I didn't know, but it seemed the universe disagreed greatly.

"How touching cowboy, or should I call you Mr. McClane? Mr. Officer John McClane of the New York Police Department, father to Hadley McClane whom is currently under my supervision." The little breath I had in my lungs was sucked out, and my heart dropped to my stomach as the words circulated through the radio and to my ears. _He's found out._

"Sister Teresa called me Mr. McClane in the third Grade, my friends call me John, and you're neither shithead, so leave my daughter out of this." My dad replied lowly, and I could slowly feel my lunch gather in my stomach as it threatened to rise, this was definitely worse than before.

"I have someone who wants to talk to you, a very special friend who was at the party with you tonight."

The intensity over the radio was almost ear-shattering, but I hoped my dad didn't think it was me, I was here, and safe; something neither Hans nor he knew.

"Hey John boy."

My head snapped at the radio, and a single thought didn't cross through my mind that made me hesitate a bit about what I was about to do, only that I was going to fucking murder Ellis. "Ellis," me and my dad echoed back, his voice low, mine laced with anger. There was a pause where tensions grew as everyone, Hans, Karl, my dad, and Ellis recognized the voice over the radio that was definitely no males. "What have you told them?"

"…H-hadley?"

"No it's Donald Trump, who the fuck do you think it is?" I scoffed into the radio, unable to hold back my anger as I went on. "Now that the cat's out of the damn bag will you answer my question?"

"Only that you and your father were my guests to the party."

My hand constricted on the radio, and I felt fury build up in me. That high son of a bitch not only jeopardized me and my dad's life, but his own and the plan! Now if Hans gets me back or my dad (which I highly doubt, the latter at least) then he'll hold either of us hostage till the other turns their self in. "Do you at all ever use your brain you high motherfucker? Do you realize what you've just done? You've screwed us all over-"

"Listen hun, I haven't done anything but helped, if you and your dad didn't screw this up for us we'd all be a-ok right now."

"A-ok. A-OK!? Do you have any fucking idea who you are dealing with? Hans isn't some fucking teddy bear you cuddle with Ellis! He's a killer, and he will kill you, me, my dad, and anyone who stands in the way of what he wants you thick cunt. Now tell them you don't know us or you're going to die!" I screamed into the radio, my anger melding with my concern as fear bubbled in the pit of my stomach. I was not going to die because of this shit-head, but if he screwed up enough I just might.

"Hadley has a point Ellis, you shouldn't be doing this…" My dad went on, his voice thick with emotion, though I'm sure I was the only one who could tell as I recognized his different tones of voice.

"Damn straight I shouldn't! But you've got to tell them where the detonators are, the police are here and they'll deal with this. Now tell me before anyone else gets hurt, I'm really putting my life on the line for you pal."

"You're telling me!"

"Jus tell him where-"

"Dad, if I know one things it's to not tell him where they are. Whatever you do, if I have to die, if anyone does, don't tell them or we're all screwed." I pleaded, knowing nothing good could come out of this.

"Don't listen to her John she's just a woman, give Hans the detonators before they kill me."

"Ellis," I breathed into the radio, finally to the point of blowing a gasket, "no one gives two fucks if you're no good ass dies you hear me? You are probably a dickless baby who would cry if I punched you in your ugly ass face. If Hans doesn't kill you, you better wish he does, because if he doesn't I will cut your two-inch cock off and hang you by it!"

Shaky breaths were just barely escaping my heaving chest as I finished my mini-rant, my face glowing red with heat and rage, though my mind wasn't completely caught up with what I had just said. Or the fact that it was in German. When I realized it, it was far too late, and I was left to

"It seems this conversation is full of pleasant surprises, but just as much as I'd love to speak of that I want my detonators. Tell us what we want or your friend will die." Hans spoke harshly into the radio, his hidden threat that I'm sure only I picked up on sending a shiver down the base of my spine.

"That asshole is not my friend, I fucking hate his guts," My dad says frantically, his voice turning sincere as he then spoke to Ellis. "God Damnit Ellis tell them you don't fucking mean shit to me!"

"How can you say that after all these years?" Once there was no reply Ellis panicked, and my heart sped up. This situation seemed all too familiar. "John? John?"

"God fucking Damnit Ellis Hans will shoot your sorry ass if you don't tell him the truth-"

BANG!

I should have known it was coming, I know my dad did, but I still couldn't handle the sound of another person dieing (even if it was Ellis); especially not by the man I had a crush on. How laughably ironic.

I didn't feel like laughing though.

Suddenly there were screams ringing over the radio, and any previous color I had in my face drained at the sound of the yelps of the hostages; most likely at the cause of me and my father merely being alive. "Hear that? Talk to me, where are my detonators. Where are they or shall I shoot another one? Sooner or later...I might get to someone you do care about." I think he was hinting at me. Was he? God I couldn't even think straight anymore. How could Christmas have become hell in the matter of hours? What were the odds that this would happen to me, specifically?

"Go fuck yourself." Was my dad's only reply.

I sunk deep into the chair, my mind spinning, stomach churning, and heart ripped out from my chest and stomped on, but still barely beating. I only had one option left, a gut feeling that I'd come across from piecing some hints from Hans and Karl's conversation that I'd picked up on.

"Dad?" I was sure my voice cracked, but when he replied just as shakily I decided I didn't care anymore, just as long as everyone was safe.

"Yea, Hadley?"

I coughed, Hans could listen all he wanted, but my dad needed to know, even if it was too vague to understand. "I have an idea, but there is a large chance it won't work."

"But there's a chance it will work?"

A beat. "Definitely."

"I believe in you, just do what you do best." I could hear the smirk in his voice, and managed to crack a small one as I pressed the speaker to reply.

"Kicking ass and taking names."

"You get 'em girl."

"I will, dad, or at least I'll try." I amended, clicking off my radio and turning to the door. With a final glance to the room I left knowing nothing there was of any help to me, not with the huge chance I was taking.

Once the stairs were under my feet again I climbed a couple of flights until I was in a dark room of machines and tanks. I glanced around, took a deep breath, and spoke what may have been my last words into the radio. "If you don't take a chance you don't stand a chance."

Without another glance at it, I threw the radio down and pulled out my gun, my tongue flicking out to lick my lips as I rounded the corner into the room that would hopefully be my salvation. "Time to get to work."

-0-

It took me a solid five minutes to actually locate the general area of where the bombs could have been planted, which was where I planned on roasting Hans's plan, though there was a ninety percent chance I would cut the wrong wire and kill everyone. _Or maybe just myself, oh well, take one for the team._ The room only seemed to become thicker with gloom the deeper I ventured, but when I saw a couple of askew wires hanging alone and threadbare along the wall I was sure I was in the right place.

I sifted through the bag I'd acquired after taking down Franco, finding there was a little portable hyper dive-type-thing tucked away in the bottom. I rolled it over curiously before tucking it away in the gun holster strap attached to my upper thigh (which I wasn't even using for the gun as German people have really big guns. Not a sexual innuendo). I didn't know what it was, and I had no time to figure out, so, abandoning my weapons, I carefully set them down and climbed up the ridge between two metal machines and scaled the wall. Above was an assortment of wires tangled in a complex web. Many of the plugs were attached to something or another, but I didn't know what the hell was going on. _Fuck, I really wish I hadn't skipped disarming bombs class._

"I have no idea what I am doing…" I murmured to myself, running one hand through my hair as the other clutched the wall to keep me upright. I sighed and gave up, the hand that was running through my locks leaving to fiddle with the knot of wires as my fingers searched for the source of the main clump's origin. Once I felt it, I began pulling gently on the box, my arm consumed up in the rafters between the machine and roof as I pulled it from its enclosure. My tongue was poked between my lips in concentration as the box revealed itself. It was a gray box wrapped in black ductape and wired heavily on both ends, a blinking red light flashing in the middle. It looked nothing like anything I'd ever seen in movies, aside from the red and yellow wires that were mixed in with the general black. Wracking my brain for information, I thought back to the assortment of classes I had taken in police academy dad had signed me up for. I may have skipped bomb disarming class, but there was still the general bomb curriculum we'd gone over pre said class. "If you do not know the origins of the bomb or how to disarm it, check to make sure it won't be going off by timer and if it will blow upon detachment from mainframe wires." I quoted in an exact verbatim, turning the box over with extreme care to check for a timer or a plastic switch of sorts (which signified immediate demolition when the box and wires were separated). There was neither, and I let out a cry of exaltation at the sight. I could successfully foil Hans's plan, like actually do it. _Maybe I won't be so useless after all._

My hands moved to pop the wires from their plugs, this was almost too easy. "Ha! Suck it Hans, I'm gonna disarm this bomb and there's nothing you can do about it."

"On the contrary Hadley, you won't be doing anything of the sort. In fact, you are going to climb down without another move or I will put a bullet between your eyes."

All movement stopped and I almost fell at the sound of his deep sensual voice but five feet from me. My head swiveled to meet his eyes, both glazed with anger and shaded with an odd sense of desire. I felt my chest constrict at the intensity of it, and I just barely managed to stay up when I found my voice and replied just as smoothly, my persona betraying the quick beat of my heart. "We both know you won't do that."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, though the angry lines of his face never softened. "Perhaps not, but a bullet to the leg will be equally as effective and leave you at my whim. Which is actually sounding like the better option right now…" He cocked the gun, and I knew my time to make a decision was short and already quickly waning.

"Is there a third option or….?"

His jaw clenched further, and the hardness in his eyes grew more defined as the seconds ticked on. Definitely not an option.

 _So either I get shot in the leg and he does what he wants with me, or I get down – leg intact – and he does what he wants with me… Not the best options but I think the choice is clear._

Pushing the box up just as carefully as I had pulled it down, I reluctantly turned to face Hans, his gun still pointed in my direction with an eminent scowl on his face. I thought about turning and running, but once more eyes met I was half entranced and found looking away was not an option, lest running away. I gulped as I neared, and I'm pretty sure it was audible as right when I breached the boundary of being within arm's reach he grabbed my arm and slammed me against the machine, gun pressed to my side, barrel aimed to the machine I was pressed against. I could barely move, let alone breathe under the pressure he had put me under.

"Disobeying me was not in your best interest Hadley, thankfully I'm a patient man, however you've managed to ware my patience down to the nub. You were treading on very thin ice, and as it is the ice has broken beneath your feet."

Every word washed over me, his drawn out pronunciation of every sharp syllable sending a fresh wave of heat to the pit of my stomach. I was scared as hell, hell I was scared to hell and back, but his voice was making me feel just as much pleasure as it was fear. I turned away from him, trying to move as far from his breath that was fanning over the shell of my ear in a delightful way, tried to escape the lips that would be my undoing and rip me apart by the seams. I couldn't escape him though. Literally and metaphorically. I was trapped in the physical sense, but in the mental sense I seemed to be completely under his spell. _This is not good, definitely not good._

"I suppose I'm drowning now then." I managed in a croak, my eyes wide in a mix of fear and disbelief.

I felt his large, warm hand come to cup my cheek. The notion was gentle but the action was commanding, and my head was soon brought back to face his. His thumb flicked over my lips where his eyes were trained, and I could see his gaze darken the longer he stared. "Not quite yet… you are just barely floating," he paused and drew out his words, leaning in nearer to my mouth until our noses were brushing. "But I intend to pull you down if you don't fail yourself."

His lips crashed onto mine and the heat that had been trapped in my stomach exploded and spread to my limbs, setting a flame alight in every inch of my body that only he could quench. _Just a crush eh?_ My mind taunted haughtily, making me think on what I was doing, just whom I was kissing. The thought left just as quickly as it had come when he moved his lips to my neck, his lips moving fervently against my skin; tugging, sucking, scraping, licking in a rough manner that bruised my skin immediately. I was torn between pain and pleasure, but when I realized the moans in the air were from my own lips I realized I actually liked this aggressive need. I bit my lip to stifle the sounds, but once he noticed they stopped he worked harder, finding a sweet spot at the base of my neck that broke the silence and suckled on it ardently. "Hans- ohhhhhh." I couldn't contain myself, but with one final nip he pulled back and clamped a hand over my mouth, turning around so his back was pressed against my front side and pointed the gun at a space across from us. I realized he must have heard someone, when he kept the hand on my mouth and pressed us both deeper into the shadows the building provided. It was fruitless though, as not a moment later a figure appeared with a gun that mirrored Hans's and pointed it straight at us. Well, more him than me.

I cautiously peered around Hans, my eyes quickly adjusting to the newcomer before my stomach flipped around. It was my dad!

Immediately I hid back behind Hans, slightly flustered about a number of things: he would die, or he'd see the love marks on my neck. Neither was a good option as the ladder would probably end with me dieing of humiliation.

"Mr. Cowboy, a pleasant surprise seeing you here."

"I wouldn't call it pleasant Hans, but whatever floats your fucked up boat." John retorted with a sneer, blood, grime, and sweat dripping down his forehead; matting his hair and ripped white tee.

"You have something I want, and since we are face to face it would be in your best interest to give it to me before things get messy."

"Oh yeah? Well you can shut your shit spewing mouth, you've got nothing on me, I could just shoot you and be done with this."

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast there Mr. McClane. You see if you were going to kill me you would leave quite the tragedy upon a certain someone, if you didn't kill her by accident too." I knew what path Hans was taking with this, but I couldn't protest, didn't dare protest for the sake of my dad's life. Hans wouldn't resist firing at my dad if it were to punish me, I was sure of it.

"What do you mean?"

"Here, let me enlighten you." Hans pulled me from behind him and roughly pinned me to his side, gun still pointed at my father, though now I could see both faces quite well. Hans was on of malevolent triumph, while my dad looked horrified. A part of me was worried he would notice the marks on my neck, even if there were bigger fish frying at the moment. "Now give me the detonators or she dies."

He wasn't even pointing the gun at my neck, but I was still worried he would actually kill me. He couldn't have become so attached to sacrifice me for the detonators, but then again would he kill me after hunting me out so thoroughly? I didn't know anymore.

"Leave her out of this Hans, its just between you and me."

"Funny, it didn't seem so when you brought in a few of your own players to the table. Shame they couldn't even get past the first gate."

John sneered at Hans, both his hands coming to the gun as he waved it angrily with a red face at the German man holding me. "I swear I'll shoot if you don't drop the gun and give me my daughter."

Hans quirked a brow, a devilish smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he set the gun down with his grip still tight around my waist. He couldn't be giving up that easily, could he? Slowly, hesitantly, his arms untangled from my waist and he let me go. I stood for a moment, unsure if the moment was real before turning to my dad who was still aiming at Hans. "You won't shoot?"

"No, I lied."

"Funny," Hans followed only a beat after my dad, "So did I."

In the next few moments a number of things happened. A gun fired, and I saw my dad reel backwards from impact, though it was not fatal. The elevator dinged and a group of Hans's men led by Karl poured out, but by the time I realized that I was thrown over Hans's shoulder and he was walking away. "Kill him." Hans commanded firmly, ignoring my cries and please to stop it. I pounded my fist onto his back, feeling helpless and at his whim of doing. This was not me!- I'm a police officer for god's sake! But hell, my fists were not doing any damage on his rock hard back.

"Put me down prick!"

As I wished I was thrown roughly into the elevator where Hans followed, pressing the button for the thirtieth floor before he picked me up by the arm. "Maybe next time you won't disobey me, now that your father is dead." I knew I was in for it, I was Hans's puppet, he had taken control of me like a child would play with a toy, and worse of all he knew it and he was using it to his advantage.

"He's not dead, you don't know that."

Hans smirked, and waited for the elevator to ding, but I could only hope that he was wrong. But if I were to be right it was time to cook up some major miracles.


	6. Chapter 5: Hidden Treasures

**(This is for mature readers only, heads up. They don't go all the way or nothing but seriously shit gets hot. This was really fun to write by the way so enjoy. Also I don't own Die Hard, and heads up Shit goes down next chapter.)**

* * *

 _Chapter 5: Hidden Treasures_

Throughout the night one collective thing had come to place in my mind: Hans wasn't a liar, he was a thief, and there was a huge difference. At first I'd thought he'd lied of everything: his motives, the money, his feelings (even though they weren't directly stated)… just everything! But as the night went on my confidence in that waned, and I realized everything that was going on was real, my feelings were, _his_ feelings were. And most of all, so was my fear.

I'd been scared before, many a times, like any normal human being. I was scared of the dark when I was younger, then scared of my parent's inevitable divorce in my teens, and then scared for my life when I joined the police force. I had tried to cover it up with my colorful cussing, sarcasm, puns, jokes, hard badass exterior… but now all that peeled away, seemingly by the hands of the man no more than two feet away from me, who, from the beginning of the night, had been at the center of my everything. Thoughts and all. Everything just seemed to lead back to him, even the fact that now my fear of death was replaced with the fear of feeling. I had begun developing feelings for this man. True feelings, more than just a simple crush. Could it happen in one night? I mean, I always believed in love at first sight, I'm a hopeless romantic after all, but I never imagined I would fall for a guy so quickly. Especially one who was holding me hostage.

Perhaps if the circumstances were different we could be happily in love and be making beautiful half-German kids that were really smart and had hazel eyes, but that didn't seem like a likely possibility at all. Not now. Not ever. But I suppose I could dream a bit.

The elevator dinged, and with a cloudy mind I was led back to the office, guided only by Hans's hand that rested on my lower back. I sat down on a coach, a wave of cold air wrapping around my body as if taunting that his warm touch was gone. I had yet to make the connection.

The TV caught my gaze, and after a flicker of attention in Hans's direction I focused on the News Channel which was broadcasting some mental psychologist, and suddenly my attention was very well captured… _"…_ _Dr. Hassledorf, what are you going to be expecting in the next few hours from the hostages?"_

 _"_ _Well, Gail, by this time the hostages and their captors should be entering the early stages of the Helsinki Syndrome. Or more commonly known as Stockholm Syndrome. Basically, it's when the hostages and the terrorists go through a sort of psychological transference and projection of dependency. What can only be described as a strange sort of trust and bond develops. We've had situations where hostages have embraced their captors after their release and in one case even corresponded with them in prison..."_

 _What about when you want to fuck their brains out? Is that a syndrome or is it included?_ I glanced at Hans to see if he was listening, but his attention was on the papers in front of him, and I was very glad. Did he have feelings that were more than lust me? I chanced another glance before looking back at the TV. Probably not. I was about to berate myself again but decided it was fruitless, it would be simpler to stay in denial and classify it as extreme attraction, I mean it would work, anyone could be attracted to him. He's hot. Not like I needed to engage in any sort of relationship with my hostage, if I even escaped this that was.

 _"Is this common among heists and the sorts where hostages are often taken?"_

 _"_ _It depends actually, for the general people it comes slow and goes more easily. But if there are more intimate hostages then the bond can develop quicker, and on both sides of the relationship."_

 _"_ _Intimate hostages?"_

 _"_ _Yes, intimate hostages. Like say the terrorists have picked one or two people and separated them from the group, those people can become more reliable on the hostages and the hostages on them. Some of these bonds can be permanent and even mistaken for love."_

 _"_ _Is it true that sometimes hostages fall in love with their captors, except it's actually real?"_

 _"In some instances I suppose, but I have yet to see anything like that yet."_

I gulped, my throat having dried out like I'd swallowed sand and my head spinning with what they had been discussing. Was it a coincidence that what I'd been meditating so deeply upon had been brought up by a professional who had practically explained my situation. He was practically declaring I would fall in love with Hans, or I already had, I don't even know anymore.

"Hans, you may want to see this…"

Hans was up and had offered me his hand when Theo finished, without a second thought I had put my hand in his and we were out of the office and climbing the stairs to the vault room. I felt like I was betraying my mom by not putting up a fight, by complying so easily, but I didn't know what to feel or do anymore. The room was dark with two other people in it, one was Theo, and the other had goggles and an ugly blue sweater on. I didn't know his name but I didn't get a chance to ask (nor would I have if I had the opportunity) because Hans pulled me straight to the computer where Theo sat. The screen was blue, and though I tried to make no notice of it Hans made no move to take his hand from mine. I had to admit, his warm, soft, piano-like fingers were very distracting when wrapped around mine.

"Alright so those are the city engineers," Theo pointed at the screen, "they are going to the city circuits located about here." He pointed again, but to a different screen. "Those guys in the suits, I don't know who they are."

"Oh, that's the feds."

Everyone turned to me in surprise, "The Feds?" Theo inquired.

"Oh, you know, like the CIA except more FBI. They work solely for the government. If I knew anything they would cut the whole city down as long as it worked."Again more quirked brows at my elaboration, though Hans seemed quite pleased. "Hey, the only reason I know this is because this was the class that I took."

"You took classes on this?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, I signed up cos' someone said a hot police officer from Florida would be teaching. So of course I jumped on the opportunity. And I was not disappointed." Theo laughed, Hans narrowed his eyes in an less-than-amused way. I shrugged, "You should have seen him demonstrate pull ups, without a shirt too." I went to dog whistle but Hans cut me off in a clipped and obviously annoyed tone.

"I think that's enough." I pouted a bit, before mentally berating myself for acting so natural around these guys. _Fuck, it's like trying to hit a baby, you can't do it!_ "Now Theo, you asked for a miracle, and I give you the FBI." As if on cue the screen of his computer went dark before an electronical female voice said over the speakers: " _backup generator initiated"_ and the light flickered back, as did the rest of the building. The screen which had the vault and its seven locks on it, six already dissipated, started flashing as the last one opened. "It's gonna go, it's gonna go!" Hans stood up straight, me following as Theo twisted in his rolly-chair to face the vault which had started beeping, and in a slow, dramatic movement opened up to the four of them. I had managed to keep from gaping, but I could feel Hans's excitement as he gripped my hand harder in his, pulling us both forwards and toward the vault. "Merry Christmas!" Theo shouted like a giddy child, well, on Christmas. He ran into the vault and began opening each individual case, showing computer paper sized bonds with large amounts of money printed on them. Hans made no move to enter, so I didn't either, just staring at all the art, armor, figurines, statues, and another things stuffed away inside the vault.

 _If I had known this vault was packed like this I would be stealing from it too._

Theo looked back at Hans with a huge smile, Hans returned it and turned on his heel, swinging me around by the hand that held us together so I was tucked away at his side. He pulled out the radio and spoke into it. "I wish to speak to the FBI."

"This is Special Agent Johnsons of the FBI. The state has prepared for the safe return of your comrades, helicopters are on route as you requested."

"I hear you, we're ready." Hans smirked, "When they touch down we'll blow the roof, and by the time their done searching through the rubble we'll be on a beach earning twenty percent."

I wanted to tell Hans he was a monster for doing this, and ingenious monster, but I realized not only did my voice literally not work, but he wouldn't listen if it did. It was like trying to break a brick wall with a butter knife: it just didn't happen. I was in no position to change this, maybe other things, but I couldn't change that. No matter how hard I tried. And it was a depressing thought.

"Have you got the u-drive Theo?"

"Nope," Theo replied airily, packing away the money with his very goofy grin still plastered on his face. "Franco has it." I gulped, _no, I have it._ I didn't speak up, if I could help at all maybe keeping my mouth shut on this one would work. I'd feel less guilty at least.

My stomach clenched as I tried to keep a masked face of indifference like I knew not what they were speaking of, Hans glanced my way before looking back at Theo. "Of course." I kept my other hand clenched while he led me down the stairs, his strides so fast I almost had to sprint to stay even with them. Once we reached the office he let my hand go, and faced the door, leaving me to stand by the couch with my gut twisting. Hans slowly raised his hand to the door knob before he closed it, glancing about the room as if noticing the blinds were closed for the first time before sitting down on the couch next to where I stood. "Come sit down." I didn't get to react, because in a moment Hans had pulled me down so I was straddling his lap, my eyes having gone wide with shock at the sudden movement. He remained completely placid like we weren't in an intimate position at all, though I could see a storm brewing behind those eyes…

 _He knows…_ His hands took mine and wrapped them around his neck, nudging me closer to him by propping his knee up. "Do you happen to know where the u-drive is?"

Again, I tried to keep a completely unknowing face, but I was sure Hans could see straight through it. "U-drive?" Hans chuckled, all the while puffing a huff of his warm, smoky breath (which was surprisingly not unpleasant) on my face; and for a moment I thought I was off the hook.

"You are a horrible liar, I love that in a woman." My face sunk, but I managed to stay strong.

"I really don't know what you're talking-"

He cut me off like I hadn't spoken at all, "I'll give you one more chance, or I'll have to get the information from you one way or another."

That didn't sound good, not at all, and I was sure it showed on my face because his smirk grew. _Lord have mercy on my soul._ "I don't know." Hans hummed, one of his hands trailing down the plane of my stomach to the hem of my dress. His eyes were locked on where our hips met, and I noticed his arousal through the bulge next to my leg and the darkness of his eyes. He licked his lips and met my eyes, his glinting with a knowing mischief that made me shudder in desire.

"You don't? Shame, I'll have to find the answer another way." As if he was trying to make it more obvious than it was, Hans shifted our position, throwing me on the couch so my back pressed against the cool fabric before following, his form towering over me dominatingly. He was positioned between my legs, and I noticed not only were my arms still around him but I was opening my legs further by instinct.

 _Why don't you just write 'fuck me already Hans!' on your forehead to save yourself the humiliation!_ "What are you doing?" I managed in a croak, my eyes locked on his lips that were pulled upward in a malevolent smile. He took my heads in one of his and pinned it above my head, my mind far behind my body and its inappropriate reactions to his erotic movements.

"I'm getting the answers I need, and I know you'll enjoy it quite a bit. So relax, it'll make things all the more pleasurable for the both of us." I went to speak again, protest maybe? I actually had no idea what I was going to say, not that it mattered, right when I opened my mouth Hans had covered it with his own, immediately plunging his tongue into my cavern in a frantic, almost hungry way. My hands wanted to unbutton his shirt and run themselves over his chest, or smooth themselves over his hair, but I was at his whim with both hands above my head like they were. So I made my passions known with my mouth. I kissed him back fervently, my head tilting to the side to allow better access as our lips melded against each other like they were meant to be. I savored his taste, the feel of his lips roughly massaging mine. Our tongues battled like they were dancing a tango, so fierce and so passionate I could feel my core heat up and my underwear wetting with my heightening desire. Hans pulled back, though he kept his body pressed against mine in all the right places. His eyes were hooded and his lips were swollen. "The u-drive?"

If I was going to get more of this no way was I going to tell him. _Augh I'm horribly desperate at this point._ "Nope."

"Suit yourself." He placed a chaste kiss on my lips before trailing them down my jawline and to the spot on my neck he'd bitten earlier. He rejuvenated the mark before once more levelling out with my body, his lips hovering over the sensitive lobe of my ear. "Since you are adamant on keeping this dire information from me, and since I am in desperate need of it…" His free hand left my hip, his legs pressing onto mine as to pin me down, "I shall get it one way or the other." I felt my hairs stand on end at his words, and my body only continued to burn as his hand trailed down from my waist to the hem of my dress. He played with the material before hiking it up, revealing my compression pants. I almost cursed for wearing those. "Pity something so valuable will have to go to waste," he murmured, taking the material in one hand and ripping it in two. "but they were covering a much better prize."

My breathing quickened as his fingers trailed a path of fire up my now very bare thighs, and I suddenly wondered how he hadn't found my holster (though it was on my opposite leg), except I wasn't really complaining. His index finger moved across the lining of my panties before slowly pushing it up to fully expose my nether regions. It ran along the line of my folds, sending a spark of pleasure that ran from the base of my spine all the way to my head.

"Ohhhh Hans…" I moaned, writhing against his hold at the throbbing that intensified where he his fingers moved. I'd never been touched like this by a man before, but I could tell he was doing it right.

"Already so very wet and we've just started. What a naughty girl you are Miss McClane." His breath was warm and husky, so much in fact that it elicited another moan from me. "It is almost Christmas after all, and you know what happens to those who are naughty on Christmas." His finger dripped inside me, it was colder compared to my heated insides, and I almost screamed at the immediate pleasure that washed over me. Nothing I'd ever experienced had ever felt this foreign… or so good. I was beginning to understand why people at my High School engaged in activities like this so often.

"Oh fuck…" I clenched my eyes shut, biting my lip to keep from yelling his name like I so desperately wished to do. That would not be good, not at all.

"What a naughty mouth you have too, perhaps I should punish you for it as well…. You know what they say, kill two birds with one stone." His lips were back on mine, and they muffled the loud moan that wished to tumble over my lips when he added a second finger to the mix. My hands were dying to come out now, to grip his hair, but his grip never faltered, so I bucked my hips instead.

I pulled back, the kiss was so intense that I had literally had the breath taken from my lungs. "F-fuck, fuck you Hans." I managed in a breathy, half-assed threat.

A growl reverberated through his chest, and I was reminded of the animal I saw in him earlier that night. He was like a panther: slick, sly, intelligent, smooth, quick, and exceedingly handsome. Not to mention whatever that growl was turned me on like nothing else. "I would Miss McClane, but as it is the walls seem to be very thin around this place and if I were to ravish you it would be for a whole night. And we will be leaving here very soon, patience is a virtue after all."

No more witty remarks left my mouth, only the occasional mewl and moan that was slurred with his name. I could feel my pleasure building up, my walls tightening, and I knew he knew it too because he cursed something very dirty in German I forgot but it only added to my pleasure. One look at his pants and I could tell he was enjoying this just as much as I was. "Oh god, goddd yesssss…" I slurred, knowing the peak of my pleasure was right around the corner. He knew it to, and with one final pump he drew out, pinching my extremely sensitive and throbbing nub before completely extracting his hand from my nether region, his hand undoing the buckle of my holster before pulling it off and disentangling himself from a very dejected me on the couch.

I stared at him, my chest heaving, lips swollen (both sets of them actually), core throbbing, dress hiked up, extremely hot and bothered, and wondering when the hell he learned where the u-drive was and why he led me on to believe he didn't. _Probably to amuse himself with you squirming beneath him_.

He glanced at me, flashing a smile before smoothing out his jacket, messing with his tight trousers, straightening his tie, situating his cuffs, and redoing his hair before pulling the u-drive out of the holster where I'd hidden it. "That was for leaving earlier, next time the punishment will be much worse." I didn't know what could be worse than that. I felt like a whore, having been so easily manipulated and brought to the pinnacle of my deepest desires. I wanted more, so much more than two fingers on a couch in the middle of a heist, and that made me feel nasty, yet nasty didn't sound so bad just as long as it was solely for Hans…

 _At least I know he might reciprocate my feelings._

There was a pause in my thoughts.

 _Oh shut the fuck up._


	7. Chapter 6: Free Ticket to Nowhere

**(I have just been punching out stories like no other! And what's worse is I want to write more! So many ideas going on in this head of mine... and that's not even including the ones I've already begun but not yet posted. Sheesh I'm pathetic! Anyways enjoy this sudden turn of events, I don't own Die Hard or any characters, and please review with anything you'd like to see from me!)**

 _Chapter 6: Free Ticket to Nowhere_

After a bit more of writing on Hans's part, and a lot more dumbfounded staring and deep seated thinking on my part, we left the office for the final time that night. The rest of the hostages had been led upstairs, and I could only watch my mom go with a blank glance as she was led up with them. I meant to lip how much I loved her, or speak through a prayer that I wanted to be safe, but my mind was so preoccupied not a thought that didn't entitle what just happened stayed in my mind. I didn't want to think of it, and god knows how hard I tried to put from my mind, but it never seemed to leave. And the warmth in my center was a complete sign of that.

I never once looked at Hans, but I knew he glanced at me because my body would tense at the smoldering feeling that settled in my chest. Sometimes I'd blush at the thought of what had happened, sometimes I'd yell at myself for wanting it to go farther, sometimes I'd get angry at Hans for being so attractive. Whatever I felt, it was never consistent, because whatever I felt consumed me too, which meant I was also nearly completely daydreaming, meditating on my inner commentary that changed so often.

Hans was packing the money away, and Theo was messing around with the computer, leaving me to my thoughts. Not that I wouldn't surrender to them if I was doing something anyways.

 _I still can't believe after all this time that all this is, all this is, is a heist. You're a thief, a liar…_

I hadn't meant for the words to come out, nor did I mean for them to be heard, but as it was both became a reality. Hans twisted around where he stood, and in a moment he was in front of me, though I managed to keep a straight face. "Is that what I am now? Are you having second thoughts of being more than a hostage?"

I replied within a second, "I never was anything more than your hostage Hans."

His eyes flashed with hurt, but the coldness that had iced them over in previous instances in the night, like when he killed Tagaki, came back and hardened his beautiful hazel orbs. He looked like a predator: ready to strike and kill without a sliver of remorse. "I am not a liar, but I am a thief, and I'm an exceptional thief, Miss McClane. But you should be wiser to hold your tongue because now I'm moving up to kidnapping."

I wanted to spit in his face then apologize and tell him I didn't mean it, but the rollercoaster I was on took a dip into anger and I snarled at him instead. "You won't get away with this."

"Famous last words of a victim, Miss McClane, it's a shame you aren't a bit more creative."

His smell threatened to send me under a dangerous spell, but I managed to keep a scrap of my composure, which, I supposed, was better than nothing. "Arrogant bastard." I snarled in my blinding rage, my lips curled up to reveal two rows of white teeth.

Something in Hans must've snapped, because one moment his face was frustrated, the next his eyes were blood red, his face contorted in the most vexed face I'd ever seen in my life, and then his hand connected with me cheek, and my head went reeling to the side. I could taste blood in my mouth from the shattering impact, the stinging in my cheek so painful that tears formed in my eyes. I asked for this, yet I still couldn't believe he'd done it. _But the bastard deserved it, God I hate him! How I hate him!_

I recovered with nearly zero humility, but he had turned, his body rigid with what was obviously rage. I shook, fear consuming my body as I raised my hand to my cheek. He'd hit me, what else could he do without remorse? I'd been poking a bear with a stick, and I'd finally felt the consequences of doing so. But I was so angry with myself, angry for ever feeling anything more than physical attraction like I did, like I still do.

I refused my feelings, I buried them so deep beneath my layers of hate that they would be hidden, and from then on I would further deny any attachment to this _thief_ beyond physical attraction. He deserved no less, and I berated myself for ever thinking otherwise. I muted the voice that spoke in his favor, ignoring its comments about love and need, and quickly directed my thoughts back to my father, where my prayers should be. To my mother, where she could be dead on the roof.

Then the building shook, it shook so violently, almost like when the first bombs had gone off. I could feel the roof crumbling, hear the cries of distress as Eddie appeared out of the elevator and helped Hans load the money onto two carts, one being wheeled onto the shaft where Theo disappeared in. They were still packing when he came, when my father appeared machine gun in hand. "Hans." He shouted, anger lacing his voice as he spoke.

Hans grabbed me and hauled me roughly to my feet, pulling the gun from his waist and pressing it to my head. My breathing quickened as doubt seeped into my mind, before I wouldn't have thought he'd pull the trigger, but now, I wasn't so sure.

"Jesus Christ." I mumured, obediently falling back into Hans as he pulled me away from my limping father who was slowly approaching.

"Hi honey." I would have laughed had there not been a gun pressed against me.

Eddie backed into the corner, a machine gun in hand, and I wasn't sure if my dad saw him, but I didn't dare speak, I didn't want to die even if I wanted to be a hero. I was truly scared.

"So that's what this is all about, a fucking robbery?"

"Put down the gun." Hans sounded way too comfortable with this situation, though I noticed his grip on my arm had lightened. To the point where he was practically ghosting over my bare skin. A part of me missed the harsh touch. It brought me back to reality, even though this reality sucked ass.

"Why's you have to nuke the whole building Hans?"

"If you steal six hundred dollars you can just disappear, but if you steal six hundred million dollars they will find you. Unless they think you're already dead. Now put down the gun." My dad complied, and I began to protest when the barrel of the gun pressed further into my forehead. That shut me up, I just wish I was brave enough to where it hadn't.

Tears gathered in my eyes for the first time that night. My father would die, I'd probably die, and I was still a virgin. The last thing was pretty incompetent, but for some reason that felt like something I'd have liked to knock off my bucket list before I permanently hit the hay.

As if the night couldn't get any worse, a ghost appeared, a pistol in hand behind my father. It was Franco, seemed he'd woken up from the forced nap I'd given him earlier and he did not look happy. But my dad didn't see him, and he didn't know till too late that Franco had seen through his plan, or rather, seen it strapped to his back. In one swift movement the long haired man had peeled the hidden gun from my father's back and stepped to the side, now armed with two pistols and leaving my surprised father armed with nothing.

I'd never seen my father so lost in his life, his face painted with defeat. He knew that was his last resort, their last hope at escape. And it had slipped out right beneath them… Hans was surprised too, but his triumphant smirk only grew at the new revelation, now he knew he had John completely at his whim.

"It seems your tricks won't do you any good, not when you don't have any left." He sneered, smugness layering his voice. "When will you Americans learn?" He took the gun from my head and pointed it at my father who seemed happy to accept his fate. He'd lost. There was nothing he could do surrounded by three people, completely unarmed and with his daughter, me, held captive. He had nothing working for him besides his biggest weakness… "What is it you said to me? Yippee ki-yay motherfucker."

I pushed Hans hand up right when he pulled the trigger, and the bullet went harmlessly to the rafters. For the second time that night I'd saved someone by last second actions, and a sense of dejavu washed over me. I quickly suppressed that, using his confusion to my advantage and breaking free from his grasp to stand defensively in front of my father. "I won't let you kill him."

Hans grit his teeth together, gun cocked and ready to fire again. "You are in no position to be arguing, Miss McClane, because as I see it you have no gun."

"I'm not arguing, I'm negotiating. You need me to stay safe, and if I'm dead I'm no use to you. So a life for a life. If I go willingly with you, no questions asked, you spare my father. For now." I couldn't stretch it and say forever, no matter how much I'd liked to. I had to be smart and get what we both needed out of this. Even if it meant sacrificing me. It'd help soothe my conscious too, because I knew if I amended my wrongs (cough- liking Hans) by doing this then I wouldn't feel as bad, though that was something that didn't cross my mind until a lot later.

"No-"

Hans cut my father off. "Deal, twenty four hours from now if I see him he's dead." I turned to my dad, and he hurriedly tried to convince me otherwise but I merely shook my head, tears finally leaking from my eyes and let Hans drag me away, Franco and Eddie in tow as we took the elevator to the garage. No one looked as me as I silently cried, Hans was my only anchor to the world, and no matter how much I hated him I welcomed his touch. He stared at me for a long while, almost willing me to look back, but I didn't, not once did I dare look back at the man who had so quickly become my enemy.

An ambulance was out (ingenious plan, though I only admitted it internally), and Theo was sitting in the driver's seat when we opened up the back and stuck the rest of the money in. There were almost twenty bags in total, and while was sat in the back I wondered if the car ride was going to be awkward when I realized a most familiar face was not present. "Where the hell is Karl?"

Everyone looked at me a bit shocked, but I couldn't help it. Even if Karl was now my father's sworn enemy he was pretty funny, and I could have seen us being those mean friends people had if he hadn't tried to heist a building I was at. Succeeded actually…

"Present."

If I thought anyone was shocked at my outburst they were even more shocked when they noticed Karl limping towards them, a trail of blood oozing from many wounds all over his body. It looked like he'd been to hell and back three times over! Marks were indented on his neck, blood oozing from that, a knife stuck out of his side, blood matted his blonde hair, and worst of all there was a huge cut that stretched from his cheek to diagonal forehead. I gasped and jumped to my feet, helping him into the back of the van, not noticing Franco close the doors behind me as the ambulance took off.

"Jesus Christ man did you meet Satan or something?" I asked, grabbing the medical bag under one of the seats as he lay down on the stretcher that was in the middle of the ambulance – it seemed this was _a real_ ambulance – and began treating his wounds.

"No, worse, your father." I chuckled at that, and he gave a halfhearted smile as I worked on his wounds. He seemed surprisingly cheery for not having his revenge, I dubbed it the blood loss.

After thirty minutes of quick paced driving, I realized I had actually forgotten whom I was with, now wondering where we were going. Karl was all patched up, and I had nowhere to focus my attention full onto as to forget my current predicament. But my adrenaline was dying down, and I suddenly felt very tired. I sat down, not even glancing to whom I sat next to as I plopped unceremoniously next to them. I knew it was Hans when he brought his arm around me, pulling my to his chest in which I gave into his sweet smell and strong, warm body. I was comfortable there, nearly safe as he wrapped both arms around me and I rested my head deep into the crook of his neck. He put his chin on top of my head, and I found that despite me anger for him, I felt too content to move, and I was too tired to argue. So I embraced him, took a deep inhale of his scent, and let sleep take me.

Hans wasn't getting off that easy though, cos' when I woke up he was going to hear a mouthful from me. Or more appropriately… he wasn't going to hear anything. I found I was rather skilled in the art of the silent treatment.


	8. Chapter 7: Silent Treatment

**Hello everyone! Long time no talk. I'm sorry for the lack of updating, however left outside writing has been hectic and in the midst of it all my muse died on me... I couldn't write a single word without it sounding like utter rubbish, and since I wanted to make my stories more professional and better organized I decided I may take longer to update even if they aren't long.**

 **But don't go dying on my just yet, summer is coming which means I'll have more time on my hands, which means more fanfiction! Yay~ On that note, I'd like to say that I am open to constructive criticism, plot ideas (if you wish to make any), and I am willing to answer any questions you have concerning this story and the future of it (though I will give no spoilers).**

 **I'd also like to thank two of my biggest fans/supporters** _191987_ **and** _Artlover_ **(guest)** **for commenting as they always do, your guys' comments make my day and the more made motivate me more to write. Now with all that said, please don't skip this chapter even if it is a filler, all this rambling about Hadley's emotions are necessary to develop her character and emphasize the toll being under Hans has strained on her. So please be patient with me, things will get good soon I promise.**

 **I do not own** _Die Hard_ **nor will I ever, also ignore grammar mistakes and please review, I will be more prompted to update if you do. Thanks!**

 **-Dev**

* * *

 **Thief of Hearts**

 _Chapter 7: Silent Treatment_

As far as dreams went, the one I had was quite dull. You'd think that after a night like last night I would be reliving the nightmare or recalling something eerily similar to what transpired, but I was quite disappointed. Maybe my imagination was just fried out from a night of long use, or maybe it had all been some big nightmare which made my stomach twist in relief and sorrow. I didn't get into deciphering those feelings though, because my mind had been snared by the feeling of a hand running through my hair, which I'm sure looked like hell. Similar to how my body felt, probably from the sleeping position.

My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing (technically second—after the hair thing) I noticed was the dark pant leg my face was pressed to. Then everything became sharp, and the aches in my neck, back, and loins hit me full force, along with the observation that this was all surprisingly real and that Hans was not a figment of my fantasies. I was unsure what I felt about that, but after a moment of contemplation I concluded it was not relief or sorrow, but rather anger.

Yes, I was angry. He'd used me. He would probably continue to do so, yet all the other things that should have ranked at the top of my list for me to hate him were non-existent in compare to the rage that bubbled in me when I thought of how he made me feel. My body feel.

Whether it be on merely a physical level or something more, I hated the way merely his words could make me shiver, the mere brush of his hand against mine remind me of what they could do, what they could reduce me to with a few strokes. I had let him touch me where no one else had in an office, and under circumstances that were not at all considered modest. Or in the realm of sane things for that matter. Those feelings should have been reserved for someone who loved me, who could care for me, and Hans wasn't that guy. He was a murderer, a thief, a liar. Those words sounded cold in my head, like they didn't fit the man that had managed to steal my affections with a few suave words and fervent kisses. Yet that's what he was, wasn't it?

I slowly lifted my head from what I assumed to be Hans's lap, and hiding a blush by looking around, I took in my surroundings with the awareness that Hans was watching me. Karl was asleep and on the medical table still, presumably having fallen asleep shortly after me and still out cold. Franco was nowhere to be seen, but since Theo was slumped in his seat I decided he'd probably taken on the position as driver. Without a glance back at Hans, I shifted forward in my seat and leaned over Karl's figure, taking in his battered but bandaged body with a keen eye. I had done a sloppy job last night, however the medics realm of, well anything, was not my area of expertise. Not to mention I was extremely tired. So with that thought in mind and the lingering apprehension of facing Hans in fear I'd attempt to bite his face off, so I poked Karl in the face with the intent to wake him up. He didn't stir, in fact after a few more prods all he did was scrunch up his face in distaste before it became serene again. "Aw Karl, you look almost cute…" Anyone who heard would have had a field day, but the only one who did hear was Hans, and judging by the feeling of his gaze on my back it was not in a positive manner.

"Psst, Karl, wake up."

Nothing. I became a bit agitated and decided to go with the easiest route. Scrunching my hand into a fist, I rubbed the knuckles along the top of his chest, and nearly immediately I got a reaction out of him. It wasn't positive, but it was a reaction nonetheless.

"Ow!" The blonde German looked up at me, his face the epitome of annoyance as he spoke in a harsh whisper. "I've had quite enough pain in the past twenty four hours, was that really necessary?"

"Not completely," I admitted. "However it was really fun."

Karl scowled, and I sniggered a bit as I opened his shirt up to reveal the red stained bandages. "I'm going to have to change these, so be ready for some more pain. Rest assured it is necessary unless you want to get an infection." Karl grumbled something, but I didn't quite catch it and decided to move on anyways. With nimble fingers I stripped him of the bandages, collecting an ample amount of replacements and some ointment to put on some of them. After stripping off some of the old blood, I placed the ointment over the multitude of lacerations before wrapping every open wound with precision. All of them had been done besides the one on his hip, and after checking up on his pain contorted face, I hesitantly reached for the buckle of his pants, stopping and looking up at him expectantly before speaking. "This is gonna sound weird, but you're going to have to drop your drawers."

"I would be flattered, but I have a feeling it's going to be painful." My hands undid the belt and gently pulled down the waistband of his pants, before following suit with a pair of navy blue boxers.

"You are feeling correctly then."

"Wouldn't want to make Hans too angry either, he's already steaming behind you as it is." I was tempted, so very tempted to turn around and just glimpse at him, however I remained focus on the largest wound his body was graced with, and the deepest for that matter.

"Did something happen to you yesterday where you suddenly have a sense of humor? Or are you just in a particularly good mood today?" I cleaned out the wound with alcohol, ignoring the tensing of his body and the heavy presence of Hans, ever so attentive, behind me. "A brush with death will do that to you."

"I suppose. You need to brush with death more often." After peeling off the dry blood that would prohibit proper healing, I pressed the wound together and placed two butterfly bandages on it, hopefully strong enough to keep the gash together. It probably needed stitches, but since Franco was a shit driver and my experience was minimum (let's not even get started on skill) I decided that was the best route. Finishing up the bandaging with a kiss of my fingers, I smiled in triumph.

"Voila! You are finished and in tip top condition, you up for a marathon tomorrow?" I was completely unaware where this spurt of playfulness was coming from. Maybe I was low key trying to make Hans jealous with my easiness around Karl, whether it was working or not I didn't know, but it felt completely natural and made my anger simmer. Not to mention the banter was a great distraction from all the problems at hand.

"Since I fixed you up, can I call you Kutie now, with a 'k'?"

Karl looked thoughtful for a moment, his face unreadable as I sat back down, purposefully putting space between me and Hans.

"No."

I sighed, "I expected that, my hopes weren't too high. It was worth a try though."

-0-

Two stops had been made since the awkward silence that had settled over the van after I'd fixed up Karl. The tension was so intense I could cut it with a knife, Hans being the main problem for my uncomfortable feelings. He wouldn't stop staring no matter how much I prayed, almost as if he was trying to will me to look at him. I was sorely tempted, but I refused time and time again.

The stops that had proceeded the medical examination was where we traded cars, the ambulance having been traded in with a black Escalade. Somehow I'd managed to get Theo between us, as Karl had the whole backseat to himself to stretch out his injuries cozily. But after the second stop (past the border and into Mexico I might add) we had acquired a change of clothes, some food, passports (downloaded from the damn hard drive, cue the shudder) and had split up a portion of the money into three banking accounts, all under three of Hans's aliases. Even if he was a dick, I had to admit the man was a genius. After the second stop however, I had gotten forced next to Hans, and he was taking full advantage of the situation. I continued to ignore him, though some of my body's reactions were completely out of my control.

"We'll be at our destination soon ladies and gents." Theo announced happily. I envied it, a sour expression crossing my face as Hans purposefully shifted next to me.

After five minutes of driving an airport came into view, and Theo pulled in and with a horrifying stop at the entrance parked, leaving the rest of us to climb out. Me mostly with apprehension as Hans offered his hand which I promptly ignored, having to bite back my retort of my capability to get out of a car on my own.

It wasn't much later that Franco and Theo parted ways with us, both carrying two bags over their arms and sporting wide grins of triumph. I still hadn't gotten over Theo's fake name: Morgan Freeman. Whomever made it had quite the sense of humor, and I enjoyed the laugh quite a bit. But I was left with a still seriously injured Karl and a miffed Hans whom was bordering rage, which I still ignored. We had the rest of the bags, and as far as I knew we would be traveling quite a bit to store away the money in banks across the globe, all under separate accounts linked only by the large sums of money entered into them. I was also assuming Hans would be investing a lot of the money in bonds, it seemed like a smart business move from my standpoint, but god knows Hans had everything planned out, I was only along for the ride.

So lost in my thoughts I'd been, I hadn't even noticed that we were boarding the plane. Hans had taken over guiding me, his arm wrapped comfortable around my shoulders to where I fit comfortable under the crook of his arm. I briefly glanced at him, my thoughts so warped in my mind that I thought nothing of it. My vendetta against him was forgotten as I lost myself deep within the folds of my own mind, the thought of how dashing he looked and how warm he was so close to me only fleeting moments compared to the rest of my conflicting self. Ignoring him, it seemed, was not only futile, but completely immature. And though I should hate him, I had every reason to and more, I couldn't bring myself to do it for any longer than necessary, which was nearly not at all.

We were arranged to be seated In a two chair economic first class row, my body pulled close to his as I finally succumbed to my thoughts and therefore to him. All the hate I'd built up against him, all the negative emotions pent to be used to fuel my will to rebel crumbled under his hazel gaze, almost as if he was melting my resolve with his eyes. I was too tired to feel anymore, too tired to feel all the anger and hate that had consumed me for moments before, not when I could feel so much more passionate in a pleasurable manner. Yet a small part of me screamed blasphemy, that I needed to escape this no matter what. This man was the source of all my problems, and I knew it, I knew he was, but it seemed his darkness only allured me more. The threat of danger at being by his side, the dominating aura he exercised with precise words and cruel plans that were carried out with crystal precision. It all made him all the more addicting, all the more desirable, and it seemed he had me hooked. And I think he knew it as well.

I couldn't run from him, I couldn't leave him by will, only by force or if he wished it. How I did not know. When I became so dependent I did not know. But it all seemed irrelevant, I was under Hans's control for however long he saw fit, and as the airport in Mexico became nothing but a spec in the distance, I had a feeling that I would be gone a long time.


	9. Chapter 8: Kill me Slowly

**Sorry for the late update but I've been very busy lately. This fanfic is my slowest one because not much will be happening, but I'm trying to spice it up a bit, it's just hard because I need to get some things across before I move on. It's nearing the end, though, and even if people may not like that I will say that there is a sequel, and this chapter has small details that are important for said sequel. So enjoy, leave some constructive criticism, and please review! Also, forgive all grammar mistakes I still have no beta~.**

 **Thanks** _Artlover_ **and** _191987_ **for the reviews, you two are constantly the reason I'm updating. But I would also like to thank the newest guest for your update, but don't worry, I won't stop updating this story unless I die. I hate when people abandon stories and will never leave mine, my updates just may take longer than usual. Thanks for loving my most recent story as well (I'm going to assume you're talking about** _Checkmate_ **). But either way I thank you all for taking your time to review, it truly motivates me to update.**

 **Please review if you enjoyed, and if you didn't then tell me how to make it better, just please, no hate.**

 **-Dev**

* * *

 _Chapter 8: Kill me Slowly_

Once more I had fallen asleep in Hans's arms, and once more I awoke in them, his musky tobacco scent intoxicating my senses as the world came into focus around me. We were in the process of leaving the plane and I was happy to be able to stretch my extremely aching muscles, though I knew I could have been worse off. Poor Karl couldn't even stand up on his own. Hans and I had to use our combined strengths to get him off the plane with our bags in tow, and even then it was extremely difficult. We managed, and for the first time I realized I had no idea where we were. But judging by the assortment of people I knew it was somewhere I'd never been before.

As if reading my confused expression, Hans spoke. "We're in Argentina and will only be here for a short while to invest money in stocks as well as to accumulate compound interest, the exchange rate here is strong as well so money will be coming in at a high rate."

I quirked a brow, did he really think I knew what any of that meant? Or, more importantly, cared? "I have no idea what any of that money stuff means. I just want to be on a beach earning twenty percent."

Hans smiled, what I believed to be, a genuine smile. Karl even managed a snicker and I don't think he was even there when Hans had first said it. "Don't worry, after all of this we'll be on a beach with our own estates scattered around the globe."

I laughed, but the smile on my face didn't reach my eyes. Was the 'we' meaning him and Karl, or was I included in that group too? I wasn't sure I wanted to be, what was he going to do with me, anyways? I was sure he only saw me as a trophy, a way to prove he'd won even beyond the money. He'd beaten my father, Tagaki, and the police, and not only had he gotten the money but he'd seduced the daughter of the man who possibly hated him most in the world. Once he'd claimed me, used me until I was no longer an object of desire, would he throw me to the streets or just kill me? The possibilities were endless, and frankly, all very scary.

Hans noticed my sudden thoughtful expression, and he quickly changed the subject. I was grateful for his attempt at making this all easier on me, but my mind was still not my own as we drove to one of the most lavish hotels I may have ever seen.

It was huge, that was for one. Probably taller than any building I'd ever seen! Even bigger than… I tucked those following words away, not wanting to drown in another bout of depression due to trailing thoughts. If I was going to be here I could at least try and enjoy the luxuries that came with it, even if I didn't know how long they'd last. God knows when Hans could start torturing me, even if I didn't want to believe it, there was a possibility. Because at the end of the day I was still only his captive.

"Here we are, Part Tower of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Five star hotel." Hans remarked, opening the car and taking my hand to help me out. I took it, the warmth of his large palm enclosing around mine making the smile on my face widen before it was struck with awe at the explosion of colors around me. The city itself was very lush, green and filled with vivid color that was complete awe-inspiring and nearly blinding.

"You do have a thing for the finer things in life, don't you Hans?" I smiled at him, blushing at the attraction I felt to him in the moment. With the sun setting an ethereal glow about him that almost made him look godly. He was truly handsome, from the way the gray trench looked on him to his smile to the way his hair was combed to the right. It was a shame my feelings couldn't run free like I wished them to, but what little pride and dignity I had left wouldn't let me. He was my captor, the man who stole me from my father, and if I was going to be attracted to him it would only be physically. But even that part of me could not deny the growing attachment I was beginning to feel around him. The need to please every whim I could. I hated it and basked in it at the same time.

"I do, it comes with being German."

I laughed at that, watching his smile grow making mine grow as well. If I thought he looked good before, he looked even better now. "You look so well-groomed, even after what we just went through, and I can't help but wonder if people think you're gay."

The smile on Hans's face fell, but Karl thought it was pretty funny as he clambered out of the car laughing. "It's a mechanism to get the ladies, though prior to our escapade in America he looked like he'd been hit by a truck."

Hans's glare now turned to Karl, at the mention of probably Hans other experiences - I assumed there were a lot – and that he looked like a mess prior to me seeing him. Obviously he didn't want either stage of conquering women or looking like a dump truck to taint my image of him. "Oh you must show me pictures of that."

"No, there will be no showing of pictures of anything, especially me." Hans said, pulling me towards the hotel by our still locked hands, a limping Karl in tow.

"Aw why not, I'm sure you still looked pretty good." I said, which caused Hans's lips to curl a bit, probably in smugness. He even quirked a brow to finish off the egotistical look.

"Oh, still look good? Are you admitting I'm handsome?"

I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Stop acting like you don't know. I'm not going to stroke your already bulbous ego, Hans."

"Bulbous ego? What ever do you speak of?"

I hit him playfully on the arm, giggling slightly as we entered the lobby. Grand would be an understatement when describing his place. It was like a time capsule, from the golden vintage wallpaper to the probably hand crafted furniture and intricately woven rug. It even had candelabras, though they had fake candles on them, they were still very cool looking.

"Woah."

"Have you never stayed at a nice hotel before?" I didn't take offense to Hans's rude sounding question, I was too shocked to be mad, and too tired if I was to be honest. He was probably just genuinely curious to my jaw that was on the floor.

"Never in anything this nice, my god."

Hans chuckled, steering me to the front desk where a woman sat behind a computer, typing away with a concentrative expression on her face. When she finished typing she looked up, her eyes and smile simultaneously widening at the sight of Hans. I could feel my eye twitch involuntarily, if every woman was enamored with Hans I would be sure to shoot myself. I shouldn't feel possessive of him or what we shared, whatever it was, but I did and I couldn't help it. But momentarily I tried to ignore it.

"Hello, I assume you speak English?" Her accent was thick as she sat up straighter in her seat, providing a conveniently easier passage of sight down the front of her already revealing top. I didn't know what else I expected, I was in Argentina after all, last time I checked these people were crazy lovers, right? It didn't matter, I'm not up-to-date on modern stereotypes, maybe it was just Italian people, who cares—the only thing that mattered was that this girl looked five seconds from jumping Hans's bones, and that was not her job, typing was.

"Yes, thank you very much. I would like a Junior Suite, preferably on the uppermost floors, and all-around room service as well."

She typed away, occasionally glancing up at Hans. I refrained from looking at him, trying to keep my expression and antsy body out of the way. She was putting me on tilt, and god knew how much I wanted to drag Hans away from here and mark him… Oh my god did I just think that?

The thought made me blush a very deep shade of red, but my musings were cut off when I noticed the hotel worker writing down something on a piece of paper. Oh god, is she giving him her number? What world is this? My eyes crossed over momentarily as I tried not to burst a gasket, in which she handed Hans back his credit card – I hadn't even noticed the transaction in the first place – and the packet of hotel keys. I could see her number peaking inbetween the cards, and before Hans could grab it I'd taken it in my hand, a sickly sweet smile on my face as I mumbled "Thank you" and dragged him away. I motioned for Karl to join us, in which he stood up and hobbled to where we were. I nimbly extracted her card and threw it away in a passing trash can, heading towards the center of the building where the elevators were.

"What was that?" Karl asked, gesturing to something I'd thrown away.

"Garbage." I answered, pressing the button and waiting for the elevator to come down.

Hans was smirking widely beside me, looking like a kid who'd just seen something he wasn't supposed to. His expression made my irritation boil, but I managed to stay in control of it. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Hadley." He whispered in my ear, in which I shot a glare back at his smug face. I wasn't going to deny it or answer, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

It was true, I was jealous. No matter how much I buried it, it was there. I just couldn't seem to help it. But there was something else, a more primal instinct in me that didn't want his attention to be anywhere else. If he lost interest in me I could die, and I was too young to die no matter how noble it would be to die a martyr or whatnot. I was still virgin, though I had a feeling that before Hans discarded me he would take that card from my hand as well. But despite that, I was afraid of dying. If he lost interest in me that quickly then I would die, because that's the only reason I was here, wasn't it? To be his personal entertainment, to sate his desires. Even if I didn't want to, even if I should have fought him in every manner of speaking, if only to make my father happy, to convince myself I wasn't completely lost in my love for him to not be my own person.

I was in love, I guess that's what this was. It could be an extremely horrible case of lust or Stockholm Syndrome, but I was done fighting it, I would just have to accept the fact and keep it to myself. He couldn't have the upper hand on me in any way, this especially.

The room was as nice, but I wasn't as happy as I'd been upon entering the hotel, my thoughts had once more taken control of my mood and turned it sour.

"If you need me, I'll be sleeping." Karl was gone then, and I looked around, unsure of what to do. Should I sleep to? Honestly I wasn't tired, at least not tired enough to sleep. I needed to cry some, probably a lot. Even if I was more of a 'suffer in silence' type I couldn't help but want to cry some stress off. But Hans was here, and I certainly couldn't cry in front of him. So I followed after Karl, my small bag of things still slung over my shoulder.

Hans's voice stopped me mid-walk, and I turned to him as he spoke. "Where are you going? Our room is over here." He pointed in the opposite direction, but I was in a half daze at is use of 'our room', like we were lovers or dating or something. Like what we shared was natural and not a captor and captive relationship induced with psychologically strained love.

"I'm going to change his bandages." I didn't wait for a response, and as I walked into the room I found Karl on the bed, eyes closed. I knew he wasn't sleeping by the unsteady rise and fall of his chest, and as I got closer the opening of one of his eyes confirmed that. "Came to-."

"—check my bandages, I know. I'm starting to feel better, but I guess I have you to thank for that."

He lifted his shirt where the bloodied bandages from before the flight were. I performed the uniform checking, prodding, and re-bandaging process swiftly, having got into the rhythm of doing it so many times. I moved to the other, less injured places, taking my time as I was reluctant to return to Hans.

When I was finished I stood up, but Karl grabbed my arm. "I'd like to thank you, really. It has been hard without my brother, but for some reason I can't find it in me to be angry at you. So I want you to have this," He handed me a small piece of paper with his number on it. "If you ever need anything, just call, I'm in debt to you." I nodded, unsure of what to say but touched by the notion. I turned to leave, but his grip tightened and I looked back at him again. "You mean something to him, even if he doesn't show it."

"I'm just his hostage, Karl, no matter how much we say otherwise." I replied in a monotone voice, for once noticing how dark it'd gotten since we arrived. The room had no light, and the sun was slowly dimming, making Karl look like a corpse on the bed.

He let go, and as I left the room, I didn't hear him whisper in my wake. "That's not true."

-0-

I sat on the balcony after that, watching the sun fall as it was chased away by layers of dark blue and purple. The moon eventually took its place, and the stars began to scatter the skies, sending a dark glow over the city. I sighed, twirling Karl's number in my hand with a frown on my face.

My thoughts were scatted and completely crazy, but I didn't even try to stop them or sort through them, I only leaned onto the railing for support as I silently mourned my life. It was changing, and I couldn't help but sit back and watch the change happen.

I didn't hear the door open until Hans spoke right beside me. "Hadley you should come- wait, why are you crying?" I didn't know I was, but a quick pat to the cheek and I realized I was. Hans dug into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. People still carried those?

Apparently I'd said it out loud, because he lightly laughed and dabbed my cheeks, leaning in as he did so. I could smell his musky scent and it comforted me, though it belonged to the person who'd' turned my life upside down in the past couple of days. "Yes, I always keep them at hand, it's a tradition that shouldn't be broken."

"Hans, why am I here?"

The abruptness of my question caught him off guard, and honestly, it caught me off guard as well. He didn't speak for a while, so I did.

"I'm not here to be your hostage anymore, am I a trophy for safekeeping? Or are you just going to dispose of me when you're tired of me?"

My voice was void of emotion, a complete stranger to even me, but I didn't regret asking. If I'd showed any emotion it would be pleading, affection… two things Hans couldn't see me demonstrate when our relationship was in such a delicate state.

"These are questions for another night, my dear, let's sleep, we both need it."

I didn't fight his hypotonic voice, or the fact that it lulled me into a false sense of security. I knew it would be the eventual end of myself, but I could only follow him to bed and love the way his strong arms made me feel. A single tear fell as his lips pressed against my temple, and he murmured that all would be answered soon, but I needed to sleep now. And sleep I did.


	10. Chapter 9: Dully Noted

**Long time no post everyone! Before I get to the long list of thanks I'd like to apologize for my absence. Life has really been ramming me hard, and though writing is my escape even that has been a chore for me. My muse is partially lost and my schedule is packed, so even when I do have motivation I can't find the time to type. But here I am with a fluffy chapter with some slightly darker themes twisted in there.**

 **Now onto the thank you's. A huge thanks to ArtLover and 191987 for the long reviews, also thanks to Lillias014, gladysnotw, and bellestanfield1 for the kind reviews. Welcome along to the Han train, I hope to see more of you in the reviews. CHOO CHOO!**

 **Forgive all grammar mistakes and I forewarn you, my updates may be belated because as I said life is hectic, but hopefully what I have planned for the next chapter will make up for that.**

 **Please review with suggestions, requests, or to say if you liked it or not. Toodles!**

 **-Dev**

* * *

 _Chapter 9: Dully Noted_

The small piece of paper I'd received the day prior was still gripped firmly in my grasp as I began to shake the spell sleep cast over me. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around me, cocooning me in a blanket of warmth and musk that had a sleepy smile curling at my lips. Hans was still asleep, his obstinate snoring proof of that. I tried to peel his arms off of me, but it only resulted in him holding me closer, his arms tightening their grip like an anaconda would on its prey. I felt his nose nuzzle deeper into my hair and felt my body rumble as he murmured something, but I didn't quite catch it.

I sighed, settling for looking over my shoulder at his face. I could feel the warmth of his body and feel every muscle from our closeness, but I found I loved staring at his face. His hair was cute all ruffled, but I concluded he looked better all well-kept, it just suited him. Not that he didn't look utterly adorable with a relaxed face, little parts of him twitching unconsciously in his slumber. A smile had crept on my face without me knowing it, and I leaned in to peck his lips, surprised that he responded quickly. He didn't deepen the kiss, though I admitted I wouldn't have objected it he had.

"Good morning."

"Morning," I murmured back, twisting around in his hold so we were chest to chest.

"Sleep well?"

"Mhm," I responded, my hand trailing up his chest, over his jaw, and into his hair. I loved the way it felt beneath my fingers, and as I ran them through his locks I heard him purr slightly. "Aw that was cute, you're like a cat."

Hans's eyes had closed during my ministrations, but I didn't stop as his eyes opened and he looked at me with black swirling eyes. We were both ignoring the question that I'd asked last night, and Hans saw the questioning look in my eyes. He took the hand I was running through his hair and brought it to his lips, kissing on my knuckles, then my wrist, then going to my palm when he noticed the paper lodged there. I'd temporarily forgotten about it at the feeling of his lips against my skin and the overwhelming thought of how they'd feel in other places.

"What's this?"

"A number, Karl gave it to me. Says I can call him whenever I need him since I saved his life or whatever."

Hans chuckles, prying it from my hand, looking at it, before reaching over me and placing it on the desk behind me. "Karl has a rather funny idea that when you owe someone, it means you must do whatever you can do redeem yourself."

"It's honorable in a way, so good for Karl."

Hans's eyebrow arched, "What if I don't follow that rule? What does that make me?"

I smirked, his breath fanning over my face at the close proximity. I was jealous his morning breath smelled minty, it was rather refreshing. "It makes you a very kissable, handsome, German man that I would very much like to…"

"...Kiss? I think you should say kiss." He continued for me in a rather husky voice, I was unaware if it was because of how early it was or if he was turned on.

"Actually, I was going to say get away from." I kissed him on the nose before wriggling from his arms and falling off the bed. I popped up, winking at Hans before scrambling out of the room and shutting the door behind me. I giggled childishly as I bolted into Karl's room, pushing all thoughts surrounding how I shouldn't be acting like this around my kidnapper into the back of my head. Anymore, it felt like I was here willingly.

"KARL!" I screamed, watching with an amused smile as the blonde man bolted upright in bed before grunting painfully and falling back. I locked the door before collapsing on the bed next to him. "Wake up sleepy head."

"You better have a good reason for waking me up." He said groggily, and I felt bad for causing all the pain evident on his face. It was truly a wonder that he'd survived, but I'd just go with it.

"It is a matter of utmost importance, I promise. You see, I abandoned Hans in bed and I have every reason to believe that he is coming after me." I explained, situating myself so that my hands were tucked comfortably under my head.

"He is a patient man, I'm sure he won't-."

Karl was cut off by the abrupt knocking on the door, followed by a deep, irritated demand from the man of conversation. "Hadley open this door right now."

I giggled, shrugging as Karl looked slightly appalled at the door before looking at her with a crooked smile. "I stand corrected." They both shared a laugh as the door continued to be hit by an increasingly irritated Hans, and Hadley realized she quite liked talking to Karl. He looked much better with a crooked smile rather than the sneer she thought was imprinted permanently upon his face.

"Hadley I swear if you don't open up!"

His frustrated voice only made me laugh harder as I watched the door handle jiggle madly. "He's getting impatient Hadley, I suggest you open up the door." Karl said in a slightly sing-song voice, which, for some odd reason, made me laugh even harder.

"I can't breathe," I gasped in between laughs, earning an amused chuckle from Karl as he glanced at the door.

"He's going to find a key, you know."

"I know, good luck finding—."

Suddenly the handle clicked, and all laughter ceased as Karl and I looked up at the now-open-door where a very annoyed Hans stood, a glower on his face. My look of fear exploded into uncontrollable giggles despite myself, and when Hans picked me up and threw me over his shoulder I started laughing harder.

Before I knew it I was being thrown onto the bed, and after a solid flop against the soft covers I was feeling suddenly very sober. That feeling was once more lost when Hans pounced on me, quite literally in a blur he was standing in front of me, all intimidating and sexy, then he was on top of me, kissing me, feeling me. All sober thoughts disappeared as we felt each other, bodies and lips locked in a dance as old as time. He pulled his lips from mine, but then his tongue was dragging its way up my neck and to my ear. He peppered kisses around the soft, sensitive skin, earning an appreciative moan as I enjoyed the attention my throbbing body was receiving. "You can't escape me, not when our bodies yearn as they do for each other." His voice was low and husky, barely above a whisper; and I couldn't entirely decide if he was serious or merely trying to scare me. Both were working.

We kissed again, and his grip on my hips tightened as one hand slipped beneath my shirt and trailed up my back It brushed over my breast, and I felt butterflies swim in my stomach as my nipple peaked under his smooth, skillful hands. I could smell nothing else but my own heady desire, and for a moment I thought we were going to go farther, but he pulled back. There was a deep level of seriousness in them, but I knew now was not the time for us to go further.

"Will you go to dinner with me?"

I frowned at the sudden change of subject, "I mean, even if I didn't want to I don't have a choice." Hans didn't look amused, and I flashed an innocent smile. "When?"

"Tomorrow night, I know a very fancy place in Italy for us to eat at."

"Italy?" I asked skeptically, "But we're in Barcelona."

"We're flying out tomorrow, after that we'll have three more stops. France, China, and then Egypt."

I rolled my eyes, I didn't hate flying, but those didn't sound like short trips. "But I won't have anything to wear, I'm not a big dress girl but knowing you the restaurant is like six stars or something."

Another quirked brow, "Six stars? That's not possible."

"I didn't think I'd be kissing a German guy in Barcelona a week ago, with you, anything is possible."

Hans chuckles and kissed my nose, softly. I reveled in the closeness, his smile, and the way he made me feel safe from being so close. I tried hard not to think how wrong it was. "I never thought of it that way, but perhaps I can calm your nerves by saying we are going to go shopping for said dress after breakfast."

"Ooh, breakfast you say? Hans, if you wanted to seduce me why didn't you suggest so earlier!"

-0-

Breakfast was a very long word I didn't understand or try to for the sake of my brain cells.

It was delicious though, and after eating paying, then buying Hans a very nice suit with a red tie (I suggested that) we were off to shop for me. I was never one to particularly like dress shopping, but I was sure with Hans, I would enjoy it. He seemed like he knew his ways around clothing anyways, so I wouldn't have to worry about that.

The shop we ended up going to had a very fancy name as well, and once I glanced at the price on the first dress that caught my interest I bee-lined for the door. Hans caught me by the arm, however, and dragged me back into the store saying I could spoil myself because he was a multimillionaire. That didn't particularly put me at ease, because the most expensive thing I'd ever owned was an old Chevrolet car, and I was pretty sure this dress was more expensive than that.

There had been a lot of dresses that caught my eye, but I couldn't seem to grasp how much they cost. Hans had disappeared somewhere in the back long ago, saying quickly he had to do something, which left me alone to brood with my college savings and three bags of chips surrounding me.

One dress in particular caught my attention as I walked around aimlessly, a tune dying on my lips as I looked at the gray dress. I had always been one for neutral or bold colors, nothing in between, and this gray dress was to die for! I hurriedly ran my fingers over its length, reveling in how it fit beneath my fingers. My hands found the tag, and I nearly screamed, if my calculations were correct it was nearly ten thousand dollars.

"If this is ten thousand dollars I better look like a supermodel and be able to fly, Jesus Christ! Is it made of children's dreams and unicorn poop?" There was a short chuckle behind me, and I whipped around to face a very tall broad, and handsome man with black hair and tan skin. He had large green eyes, and immediately I noticed how attracted to him I was. I wasn't technically in a relationship with Hans, and though I found him more handsome in a technical manner than this man I couldn't help but think that looking at the menu was alright as long as I didn't order.

"Not quite, though I must admit, I often wonder why people would waste so much money on a dress."

I quirked a brow, his accent was nice and thick. _But not as hot as Hans's._ "Don't you work here? Aren't you supposed to be advertising the buying of these dresses?"

"My name is Marko," He held out his hand, and I felt a small prick which I ignored. "Usually, but I don't think it's necessary for such a pretty lady to need one." _Wow, that was blunt._ My flirty facade dropped as his words weighed down on me, I suddenly felt very guilty and embarrassed. The feelings didn't feel like my own, but they were so overwhelming my breath hitched in my throat and my ears went red, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Once Marko noticed this, his face dropped, but it was almost too quick to be real "I'm sorry, Miss, I meant no offense-"

"Nope it wasn't you, I just got very dizzy all of a sudden." It wasn't completely a lie, my brain was fuzzy, but mostly clouded with thoughts of where Hans was. Odd how now I was so reliant on him. My brain produced no argument to that statement.

"Do you need to sit down?" He grabbed my arm, leading me to a chair. I hobbled over, words dying on my tongue as the world swirled around me with black dots everywhere. I don't know what was happening, but I was suddenly feeling very sick. Nauseous. Dizzy. Unstable. I realized he'd twisted our route to the exit, and before a word could leave my mouth there was the resound sound of a click behind me.

"I suggest you let her go or I will put a bullet in your skull." I knew that voice! It was Hans! I turned to look at him, and I swear there were halos and angels singing around him. He could've been riding a horse with armor on—my mind was all over the place, and I barely managed to pick up on the cold tone of his voice and the way his hazel eyes darkened. It would have been scary had I been mentally present, but I wasn't.

"Hans!" I gasped dramatically, free from Marko's grip as he let me go for fear of his life. "I'm so happy to see you—."

I stopped when I noticed the quelling expression on his face, my lips sealed. Even if I was high I knew how to take a hint. Hans turned to Marko, gun still raised. "Did you really think I would let you take something that was mine? You should truly do some research on your captives before you take them, because next time you touching something I own you won't breath again. Understood?"

Marko gulped, large green eyes wide as he rushed out the store. Hans quickly pulled out a phone, harboring his gun into the waistband of his pants as he dialed a number. "Find him and kill him."

I didn't process his words, but I hugged Hans tightly around the midsection and stared up at him with dreamy eyes. I was on cloud nine, but in that moment I was happy. "You are so handsome when you look like that."

Hans looked down at me curiously, his arm wrapped protectively around my waist as he led me out the door and helped me into a black limo. "Like what?"

"I dunno, all the time. But I like your hair, and your eyes, and your suits… Oooh! And I love your lips!" I punctuated the statement by touching them with my fingers, loving the way they felt so soft beneath my sensitive pads. "I love your accent too! I just love everything about you, I love you!" I giggled, collapsing into his lap, cheek pressed up against his tight stomach.

I felt him tense beneath me, but I was too gone to notice. "Hmm, I think you should rest my dear, you've been drugged. It should wear off soon. I'll get you some medicine and water soon."

I nodded dumbly, staring up at him with an almost childish awe. He was handsome, and I meant what I said when I said I loved him.

His hands tightened on my body, as if he was afraid I'd disappear if he didn't hold on tight enough. "I'm not going anywhere, Hans." I yawned, my temple resting against his abdomen.

"I know," he stroked my hair. "But I am afraid to loose you nevertheless. I've never cared for someone or something so much without understanding why I do, and I'm afraid if I lose you I'll never be able to care again."

I hiccuped, that was romantic, right? I bet it was, my brain thought it was despite the mess it was in. "I can't be that important," I smiled reassuringly, but he didn't look too reassured.

"You are, more than I can understand." He paused, and suddenly the cautious smile on his lips disappeared into a hard frown. His eyes went cold, and I noticed the change despite myself. "Promise me something, Hadley."

"Anything."

"You will be mine, no one else's."

My throat went dry at the thought, and all the blood rushed south. Even my muddled brain managed to pick up on that turn on. "I will be yours and no one else's." I echoed.

The smile returned, but it was a darker smile now. "Good. Now sleep."

He sealed the pact with a kiss, and I smiled as I fell into a light slumber, unaware that he too felt the same way, though neither of us realized it.


End file.
